After attending the most recent Bartow County school board meeting and witnessing firsthand the seeming indifference of that board to the many intelligent, informed and heartfelt pleas of so many of our Bartow residents concerning the ongoing yearly tax increases, I have to wonder what continuing to simply show up at these meetings and playing by the rules as far as protesting their actions is going to accomplish. The very fact that they already voted on this millage rate in front of us before even hearing one of what the many people who showed up for that meeting had to say should tell you all you need to know about the county's (including the school board) interest in how our residents feel about this and their willingness to incorporate any kind of comprise based on what's fair to us. I don't honestly know what the answer is, but it seems obvious we need some stronger form of protest that will send a message that enough is enough, and that if they need additional funding, they need to look to those who are profiting from all this new development and driving up the county's collateral costs. They need to be confronted with more consequential actions that will drive home the fact that Bartow homeowners are not some rich uncle they can just keep coming back to year after year for ever more money. Politely repeating your complaints to a mute governing board who doesn't bother to respond is apparently not the answer.
Just curious, in pursuing #3, have you made any attempt to expose all the information you have to the Tribune? It seems like it would make an excellent story that would be of interest to a broad range of Bartow residents, really widening the scope of people who are aware of the information you have and enlightening them that there is a group of concerned citizens who want our county government reined. I imagine that faced with these yearly tax increases, most residents simply sigh and just resign themselves to it, feeling powerless toward the government. Just a thought.
THe Tribune ran the story of our testimony at the Board. Hoever. I find they hide things that make big government look bad and highlight things to make opponents of big government look bad.
That said, The Tribune is getting an inside look at my requests for budget details from the School Board.
That's quite disheartening. I don't see the need for a local paper to editorialize its news reporting in this way, especially for such important issues to every homeowner in Bartow. This is a serious disservice to the community.
After attending the most recent Bartow County school board meeting and witnessing firsthand the seeming indifference of that board to the many intelligent, informed and heartfelt pleas of so many of our Bartow residents concerning the ongoing yearly tax increases, I have to wonder what continuing to simply show up at these meetings and playing by the rules as far as protesting their actions is going to accomplish. The very fact that they already voted on this millage rate in front of us before even hearing one of what the many people who showed up for that meeting had to say should tell you all you need to know about the county's (including the school board) interest in how our residents feel about this and their willingness to incorporate any kind of comprise based on what's fair to us. I don't honestly know what the answer is, but it seems obvious we need some stronger form of protest that will send a message that enough is enough, and that if they need additional funding, they need to look to those who are profiting from all this new development and driving up the county's collateral costs. They need to be confronted with more consequential actions that will drive home the fact that Bartow homeowners are not some rich uncle they can just keep coming back to year after year for ever more money. Politely repeating your complaints to a mute governing board who doesn't bother to respond is apparently not the answer.
Options:
1. Recall elections.
2. Run in primaries.
3. Continued exposure of malfeasance and contempt for citizens.
4. Deep dives into school system activities and exposure of any activities not consistent with system the citizens want or fund.
Join up with the Bartow Freedom Coalition. We need a group meeting and I hope to do by end of year.
Just curious, in pursuing #3, have you made any attempt to expose all the information you have to the Tribune? It seems like it would make an excellent story that would be of interest to a broad range of Bartow residents, really widening the scope of people who are aware of the information you have and enlightening them that there is a group of concerned citizens who want our county government reined. I imagine that faced with these yearly tax increases, most residents simply sigh and just resign themselves to it, feeling powerless toward the government. Just a thought.
THe Tribune ran the story of our testimony at the Board. Hoever. I find they hide things that make big government look bad and highlight things to make opponents of big government look bad.
That said, The Tribune is getting an inside look at my requests for budget details from the School Board.
That's quite disheartening. I don't see the need for a local paper to editorialize its news reporting in this way, especially for such important issues to every homeowner in Bartow. This is a serious disservice to the community.