To the Editor:

It seems the recently elected board of supervisors is performing the same as the last board.

They seem to have had their minds made up on the budget before the public hearing on May 21, and the meeting /work session that was held on May 23 was a joke!

All that spoke on the evening of May 21 made good points, however, to quote my representative Mr. Barry Porter from the Franklin District in an e-mail he sent to me after the hearing he said, “What I did not hear was any meaningful suggestions or better alternatives to the proposed budget.”

All of the board members except Mr. Glenn Updike ignored the people they represent. I presented a petition with over 600 names opposing the fee that too was ignored.

I prepared a second petition with close to 700 names to present at the meeting on May 29, but was told by the county administrator that it could not be presented until the public opinion session, which would be at the end of the meeting and after the vote on the budget?

What have we gained from our new board who all promised not to raise taxes? We now have to pay this $200 annual garbage fee, and water and sewer rates have risen. They allowed Wingate’s appraisal, which raised property values in the county 4.9 percent without hardly even questioning it. Thanks to the new board we have higher cost with no added services!

I guess what we have gained is nothing more than another “rubber stamp” board, who do what “they” think is best instead of listening to their constituents.

Winston Johnson
Courtland