In the recent article “County BOE recommends tax increase of 3 mills” in the Saturday, May 19, edition of The Post-Searchlight, Dr. Rayfield, the superintendent of Decatur County schools, is quoted, “We are talking about two buckets of money — the debt service on the high school is paid for by E-SPLOST funds and the general fund is separate. Paying for that facility is not taking money out of the general fund.”

Well, the checks might be written out of two separate buckets of money, but the funding of those buckets comes from the same place — we, the tax payers.

I hope the taxpayers are aware that on July 31, there is a referendum asking us to tax ourselves even more.  It’s for transportation funding.  That will bring our local sales tax from 7 percent to 8 percent, in addition to property taxes that are going up.  Why would we want to vote for another tax on ourselves?

The sample ballot says:

“Shall Decatur County’s transportation system and the transportation network in this region and the state be improved by providing for a 1 percent special district transportation sales and use tax for the purpose of transportation projects and programs for a period of ten years?”

I hope your readers will make a note to vote on July 31, and vote “no” on any new taxes!