To the Editor:

Evidently our Isle of Wight County government needs a refresher course in arithmetic.

Recently it was reported that the process to notify the citizens of public notices had been changed. One out-of-town daily newspaper was chosen and two local weekly papers were dropped from the notice process. That would make sense if the circulation of the daily was greater and if the cost was less. The problem is that the circulation of the daily is 45 percent less (with almost no distribution in the southern end of the county) and the cost to the county is 30 percent more. Math lesson needed! And by the way, this action has the appearance of childish payback for newspaper reporting that doesn’t show the administration in a positive light.

Also, the administration is out promoting a change to the development plan that would increase the number of residential housing units in the eastern side of the county. The reason for this change is promoted as a way to utilize and pay for the water that is available through the water deal made with the regional water authority (a deal costing the taxpayers an ever increasing amount of money with limited use of water). The math does not work here either. It is a fact that residential housing units use water but they also bring children into our schools. More houses means more schools. So you use more water to help pay for the water deal, but you increase taxes to pay for the new schools! Math lesson needed!

Why are we not talking about biting the bullet and canning this stupid water deal? Recently at a public meeting about the development district when I asked about the wisdom of the water deal, the county official simply said that was history that had to be dealt with and there was nothing to be said. What!?

The correct math may be to pay the legal fees and dump the water deal. There are other sources of water that can be developed with better plans.

Come on, county, do your math correctly — govern wisely.

Fred Walls
Smithfield