Payson Roundup

Editor:

I urge people to vote in favor of the 10 percent (School) Maintenance & Operation Budget Override.

It’s always been my practice to be sure to read the opposite positions on any proposed ballot measure before casting my vote. Right there in the last line of the third paragraph of the “Arguments Against” was the confirmation of my belief in support or the override. I quote, “How much more are Payson area property owners expected to bare?”

Words have meaning. “Bear,” a verb, can mean “to carry.” “Bare,” a verb, means many variations of “to make bare, uncover, or reveal.”

I bought my first house in ’59 on Long Island. I had another in suburban D.C., then had two in California, and one each in Oregon, Idaho and in-town Payson, allow about equally divided between urban and rural setting. I’m retired, like many here. In terms of local taxes to market value, Payson has the lowest tax bite of anywhere I’ve lived.

The state governor and Legislature have been grossly negligent in their handling of school finance. Their denial of school boards’ use of tenure or seniority in selecting layoffs in even worse, but that’s another battle. We should minimize the effects of the unfortunate situation by voting “Yes” on the school budget override.

Al Lauderbaugh