The following was an editorial received from Ephraim Brodsky: Dear Mayor Doughtie and the Roanoke Rapids City Council, Please do not vote to decrease the tax rate by 2 cents. Our city needs more money. Our city needs your support.
While a reduction may at first glance sound attractive to property owners, the reality is that the city’s budget has been cut significantly over the past 15 years, leading to reductions in city employee benefits, reductions in staffing, hours, building maintenance and services at the library, the rec center, our parks and ball fields, and the city pool. Mayor Doughtie, at the May 7 council meeting you asked, and I quote, “are we still trying to do things that maybe the public sector should be, or the volunteer people might could be doing?” Your statement alludes to the discounted tax rate further reducing the funds we allocate for our cities crucial employees and the services we offer, placing a greater burden on the community to volunteer or raise funding. With all due respect Mayor Doughtie, the public sector has already been doing things that the city should be doing.
My children participate in many of the youth sports programs offered in the area. The vast majority of these programs are run by unpaid community volunteers, who raise tens of thousands of dollars in donations and local sponsorships and donate countless hours of their personal time year after year to benefit the community. Scott Hall donates countless hours of his time to run .
