Bodine
Frustrated With
Local Legislative Bills
April 6, 2008
Sirs:
This letter will explain my
frustrations with bills that are to be introduced into the
current session of the Alabama Legislature affecting
Marshall County. Both seem to be so absurd that our esteemed
representatives are out of touch with reality with their
constituents.
First: Where is the logic behind
the so-called $25.00 tag-tax when you take into
consideration of what is happening with rising prices on
everything that you have to purchase to exist.
In my opinion, the only solution
to the school problems in Marshall County is consolidation.
At least four of the systems have experienced problems in
funding because the locals would not vote for a tax increase
and the governing bodies had to resort to other measures to
construct/operate their classrooms.
The rhetoric that passed between
Marshall County and Arab was mostly beyond belief because it
seemed as if the most important point was missed at the very
beginning of these terrible outcries. For those of us that
do not know or really care about school systems, each county
system in the State of Alabama is required to be there under
the Alabama Constitution. The City Systems are allowed under
State Law by choice.
Sometime in the very near
future, the Alabama Legislature will discover the Marshall
County System has been reduced to a figure-head only because
of annexations by the cities of Albertville, Arab, Boaz and
Guntersville. I believe, then and only then, consolidation
will take place.
Second: Why would our Revenue
Commissioners need a $6,000.00 per year personal expense
account? Anytime they are on an excursion for County
business all legitimate expenses are paid from County funds.
If this expense account is passed it just might be that they
won’t get to spend it long. All those men in office knew
what the salary was before they got attached to the County
payroll. I am not really against them getting a pay raise
but an expense account on top of an open-ended one already
in place is beyond my pea-sized brain.
It just might be the time to
replace our esteemed representatives with some new ones and
see where we go from there.
Thomas Bodine
Arab, AL
