Dear Editor and Readers,

In a recent letter to the editor, Joe Marr, proclaimed that “we desperately need to get our oversized (and rapidly growing) county government under control.” This is an ironic statement by a member of the RE-1 school board whose district continues to be a part of the problem by having the county pick up most of the tab for the School Resource Officer (SRO) to provide protection on the RE-1 campus.

If the district paid the full salary and benefits of the SRO, the county budget would immediately shrink a little.

As it is, the county will continue to pay for the majority of the SRO costs at the RE-1 campus so that the RE-1 children are protected from the time they step off the bus or get out of the car. If those actions are criticized as ‘oversized’ then so be it.

This is just one example of the county government doing things that are necessary but not a statutory obligation and doing them thoughtfully and competently.

Because of the steady leadership of Linda, Sandy and Web, the survival and recovery of the county government and gaming industry during and after the pandemic has been nothing short of spectacular.

The county is in a great position financially and is currently setting aside a percentage of the gaming revenue for reserves while embarking on much-needed maintenance projects that don’t require any borrowing to finance. The county has been long-term debt free since the end of 2022.

This spring’s cool temperatures and abundant moisture contribute to the state of the county being excellent right now but there is a continuing need for the county to invest more in our Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and wildfire mitigation efforts. It needs to do more just like everyone else who lives in a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) neighborhood.

Wes Isenhart

Black Hawk