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Lincoln Daily News.com
601 Keokuk St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
TEL: (217) 732-7443
FAX: (217) 732-9630
Lincoln Daily News publishes daily news about the Lincoln/Logan County area on
the Internet at www.lincolndailynews.com.
(We are not a print publication.) All subscriptions are free!
Content:
The articles published in
Lincoln Daily News are the result of
research, interviews and news releases submitted. Any opinions expressed are those of
the writers.
Our staff:
In the office
Managing editor: Jan Youngquist
ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
Technician,
writer:
Gina
Sennett
gsldn@lincolndailynews.com
Office assistant during vacations:
Trisha
Youngquist
Advertising sales and promotion
Lucky Eichner: ldn@lincolndailynews.com
Writers
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here]
For employment information, contact Lincoln Daily News at their
offices.
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Our mission:
The mission of Lincoln Daily News is to tell the stories of Logan County in a contemporaneous manner, with lively writing and a predilection for simple truth fairly told.
Lincoln Daily News seeks a relationship with the good people of Logan County that is honest,
neighborly and never patronizing.
Lincoln Daily News presents news within a full context that contributes to understanding.
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Lincoln Daily News operates from the premise that God's creatures deserve the presumption of right motive.
Lincoln Daily News eschews malice and cynicism; it approaches every person with dignity and every subject with equanimity. In short,
Lincoln Daily News informs, stimulates and entertains.
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Please contact us by phone, fax, mail or e-mail with any
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If the error is in an item which is still in the paper, we will
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County and the surrounding area.
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The
Lincoln Daily News publishes letters to the editor as
they are received.
The letters are not edited in content and do not
necessarily reflect
the views of Lincoln Daily News.
Lincoln Daily News requests that writers responding to
controversial issues address the issue and refrain from
personal attacks. Thank you!
. Please send your letters by e-mail to ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
or by U.S. postal mail to:
Letters to the Editor
Lincoln Daily News
601 Keokuk St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
Letters must include the writer’s name,
telephone number, mailing address and/or e-mail address (we will not publish
address or phone number information).
Lincoln Daily News reserves the right to edit letters to reduce their size or to correct obvious errors.
Lincoln Daily News reserves the right to reject any letter for any
reason. Lincoln Daily News will publish as many
acceptable letters as space allows.
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To the
editor:
This letter is in response to the
news last Wednesday [Nov. 13] that Mayor Beth Davis and the
Lincoln city aldermen are preparing for another attempt to raise
the sales tax again. My question to them is, what part of "no" is
it that they don’t understand. The voters of Lincoln gave an
astounding mandate in their rejection of the council’s attempt to
raise the sales tax earlier this month. In essence the people
spoke "loud and clear" that they are not interested in having
their taxes raised.
By the way, an estimated $550,000 tax
increase for the city of Lincoln during these difficult times is
not good for Lincoln or its citizens, and it displays a lack of
compassion on the part of the mayor and the city council members
to the many people in our community who are suffering and hurting
at this time, in my opinion.
In addition to this, please remember
that the city of Lincoln lost over 12 percent, or 2,000, of its
residents, according to the last census (in 2000), and after the
closure of LDC, God only knows how many residents are left. My
point is, how can Mayor Beth Davis, and the city aldermen justify
maintaining the same levels of manpower throughout the many city
departments while losing residents and no real hope for any
immediate increase. Do they really believe that higher taxes will
draw new businesses, new industry or any new residents?
How many businesses do you think
after losing 12 percent or 2,000 of their customers would not be
reducing staff and cutting every available operating expense? They
sure wouldn’t be raising their prices during such a crisis.
After all, the city is a business,
and the mayor and aldermen are our representatives, and they are
supposed to follow our wishes. Why then are they trying to
circumvent us now by not accepting the results from the election
earlier this month, which they themselves asked for? Is it because
they don’t like the results?
[to top of second column in
this letter] |
Now look at what Mayor Davis
and the city council have already done to us in the way of
raising several fees this year. They raised the city
sewerage bills to $56, and we will be receiving another fee
increase in our sewerage bill next year. The city of Lincoln
stopped paying for the city fire hydrants to the local water
company and then transferred the $350,000 fees to each city
water customer and local resident. This transfer resulted in
an increase of 18 percent, or $6.26 per bill, for each city
resident. We can expect another 13 percent increase in our
water bills next year. If these fee increases during this
year aren’t enough for you, this same group of city
representatives allowed the local cable company to increase
their rates without even a whisper of a complaint. These
cost increases are a lot to absorb in one year.
When you add the $620,000 loan
from the State Bank of Lincoln to the $350,000 of new money
received by the city council when the city stopped paying
the fire hydrant fees to the water company earlier this
year, it leaves an increase of almost a million dollars in
new operating money for the city.
We were not allowed to vote on
any of the fee increases above, but when given the
opportunity to voice our opinions regarding the sales tax
increase this November, we spoke "loud and clear," and it is
this writer’s opinion that Lincoln City Hall will receive
the same resounding defeat in the spring election, regarding
this higher tax, just like they did this month.
I believe it is also important
to point out to the Lincoln voters that the sales tax
increase would affect every gallon of gas by at least one or
two cents for each gallon of gas purchased. Few citizens are
aware that sales tax is included in the final gas price at
the pump, and it has always been that way. So, if you want
to pay higher gasoline prices in Lincoln, then you should
vote "yes" and support this higher sales tax issue in the
spring election.
Les Van Bibber
Lincoln
(posted 11-23-02) |
