The Gadfly is a series of letters offering commentary on local issues and published in the Warrensburg Gazette.
Dear Editor
Several recent stories put an interesting focus on our county operations & taxes.
In one, we read that the contractor for the County portion of PCA Road says that the specifications he bid on didn't include the actual paving, so he didn't bid it. I spent 14 years writing and managing contracts for the Air Force, so I speak from experience when I say that construction contractors usually win disputes based on defective specifications. Sharp contractors find these holes and bid accordingly, because they figure they'll "get well" when the specifications are corrected. Now, the County is faced with a choice between building a defective road or paying more money (or telling the contractor to build per the new specs and settling the matter in court).
Speaking of roads and taxes, the County Commission officially decided to put a use tax on the April ballot to pave county roads. Apparently they've decided that the pavement on NW 501 is a success, even though it hasn't gone through the winter yet. At least they'll do the paving themselves, so we won't have to worry about sharp contractors using defective specifications to get more money. When this does hit the ballot, I hope they provide their priority list to the voters in advance so we can judge how realistic the plan is.
Another potential opportunity for more taxes is provided by the courtroom shortage. Since the solutions that are acceptable to the Circuit Judges can't be done within the funds available because of various architectural deficiencies, the Judges want the Commission to put a sales tax on the ballot for a Criminal Justice Center. The County Commission says they're not going to promote a tax that they don't believe will pass, especially in an election year. To further complicate things, the Sheriff wants to know why he's been left out of discussions when he's still trying to run a jail in an old grocery store. There's no doubt that the needs are there; there's also no doubt that Warrensburg sales taxes are as high as any place in the state.
Meanwhile, our county office holders again voted to set their salaries at the maximum level. I wonder why we voted for the amendment that gave officeholders that right?
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