Dear Editor:

Well you won’t have to wear your long underwear any time soon because hell is not going to freeze over.

The Board of Education will keep the extra tax dollars. I predicted that the Troup County Board of Education was greedy and would keep the windfall $1.4 million dollars brought about by the increase in the local tax digest.

Kia and its suppliers will pay an increase of approximately $600,000 this year, bringing their annual total to $4.5 million. Before the ink dried on my letter to the editor last week, the BOE had announced the required three meetings to keep the funds from the back door tax increase.

Gov. Roy Barnes pushed the legislation through that three public hearings had to be held before counties and other boards could keep the funds brought about by higher property values and not reduce the millage rates.

Well our big-spending BOE had two public hearings Monday, one in Hogansville and one in West Point, and the third will be next Monday at 6:30 at the Administration Building here in LaGrange.

You can bet your bippy that no matter if those who attend the hearings beg, plead and possibly threaten; it will fall on deaf ears.

I am giving a million to one odds that the BOE will vote next week not to reduce the millage rate and take more money from the pockets of Troup County property owners. And to make matters worse, if all seven members of the board attend all three meetings, the BOE members will collect $300 each, $2,100 total. To be perfectly honest it should be mandatory for the BOE to increase the millage rate in order to keep the excess funds.

It seems unfair to even give them a choice.

C. Lee West

LaGrange