One of the biggest follies of government at any level lies in the fact that public officials often do not balance ends and means. This is a common mistake. Voters often demand changes that government cannot afford. Every small city needs more police to enforce traffic laws and curtail the drug traffic, but very few have the means to work towards that end. In an ideal world we can always find the money to do what we want. However government, business, and individuals often have to try and separate what they want from what they need.
This means setting priorities. What is most important to the people of Mineral County? Certainly a large rural county struggles to provide police protection. With only a limited number of state troopers, the county sheriff's department has a vast responsibility to serve the court and enforce the law. Mineral County's sheriff recently requested two new deputies. The county told them that only one could be funded. This occurred despite the fact that stolen property values in Mineral County jumped 158% between 2006 and 2007 to an amount well over $200,000. Education of local children remains a strong need. Outside of the schools, the county library system provides an alternative center for children and adults alike to broaden their minds. Relatively little money exists to support this important community institution.
However the county now proposes to hire new enforcement officers for the new decrepit building ordinance. There was some community demand to create an ordinance to address unsafe and unsightly conditions on various properties, although certainly it did not receive a groundswell of popular support. A law was created utilizing community input. Currently the two humane officers will be used to investigate complaints. However the decision to hire a new officer to enforce the law is an expense our county cannot afford. It seems to anticipate an extraordinary number of complaints. Do that many people seek to inconvenience their neighbors in this county? I doubt it. The county should start with the resources it has. If the complaints rise above a certain level, then by all means hire someone else. Just wait and see if it is necessary.
We ought to all be concerned about these added expenses. Folks, it is our money they are spending. Tens of thousands of dollars for a special school levy election that failed is another example. They could have piggy-backed it on the regular elections this year. Last fall it was proposed that an extremely expensive study be undertaken to explore whether or not the county has almost run out of water. Luckily Mother Nature has undertaken in the last few months to even out her dry weather with wet. Hopefully this idea has been forgotten.
Government all too often allows its ends to outstrip its means. This usually results in important issues, such as police protection, taking a backseat to issues that should be less of a priority. I would much rather have more deputies patrolling the dangerous roads of Mineral County, deterring reckless driving. I would also love to see our library be able to expand its programs to reach more children. I just don't see how various half-collapsed barns and front porches full of odds and ends warrant such a high expenditure of the people's money. The growing problem of stolen property hurts Mineral County worse than decrepit or messy structures.
Start small and work your way up. The worst case scenario is hiring additional enforcement officers and have them collecting paychecks with nothing to do while we pay higher and higher taxes.
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