Letter to the Editor

Rollback could have negative impact

Posted

As the 20th century began, our wonderful home of Gonzales was a thriving community. We were the center of cotton, cattle and commerce. At the time, our ancestors built the many beautiful homes that still line the streets of our community and built the charming downtown district. After many years of challenges as the last century closed, our community is once again experiencing a renaissance. Our historical homes are shining and businesses are beginning to renovate and fill our downtown commercial district.

One of the things that great communities share in common is that they take care of their infrastructure and ensure the success of the services provided to their populace. The city is responsible for maintaining our streets and sidewalks. Furthermore, they provide us with utility services such as the delivery of water, sewer service, drainage, etc. And where would we be without our city’s first responders such as the police and the fire departments? Finally, we cannot forget the importance of saving for a rainy day. It is vital for the health of the city to create capital reserves for situations when our infrastructure needs to be renovated and repaired. Do we want Gonzales to be like the Guadalupe River Blanco Authority that failed to save for the inevitable repairs needed at the Lake Wood Dam?

Infrastructure and city services do not come for free. I am a fiscal conservative and I am not a believer in big government. However, I also believe that taking care of the infrastructure and the folks providing city services is a good use of our tax dollars. As an owner of one of the fine historical homes in Gonzales and an owner of a substantial number of residential and commercial rental properties in the city, I probably pay a larger percentage of city taxes for the amount of infrastructure and services that my family and I personally receive. That being said, I am not complaining.

A rollback in city taxes could also have the negative impact of forcing city leaders to increase the costs of trash collection, electricity, water and sewer services, etc. It could also force them to ignore maintenance to our infrastructure and neglect the needs of our first responders.

The proposal to roll back the city’s taxes that is on the ballot for March 16 is wrong for Gonzales. I care about our city and I am voting against the rollback in taxes.

Sincerely yours,

Noel Henry Reese

Gonzales

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