The wall that divides us

You haven’t noticed the newest structure on the Clayton Highway.
It’s a perceived 50-foot high brick wall with barbed wire that’s located near the county landfill, and stretches from Comer to Baker Hill. It is a wall that divides our county.
We didn’t know about this wall until recently. But now it seems that Eufaula is somehow divided from Clayton, Louisville, Clio and Comer.
The example is extreme. But so is the accusation that those who dare question the county commission’s current sales tax proposal (including The Tribune) do not understand the needs of our county.
Unfortunately, there are some who want to make this debate an “us versus them” battle, pitting Eufaula against the rest of the county. How unfortunate. That’s bad for all of us – no matter what opinion you have regarding the proposal.
We think the proposal in its current form is flawed. We’ll talk more about why in a minute. But for now we need a crash course in unity and constructive dialogue.
One reason our county ranks so poorly in most areas – ranging from economics to educational attainment – is because we have been operating as two counties for so long. And it’s not just Eufaula versus Clayton, but the haves versus the have-nots.
We often vote for political candidates because of where they live or where they were born, and not because of their qualifications. We’re quick to accuse others with different opinions rather than sit down at the table and determine how we can all work together for the betterment of our county. Some of the recent jabs thrown at those who are for and against the proposal would make a kindergarten class cringe.
We’ve failed to realize that what is good for Clio is good for Comer, and what is good for Clayton is good for Eufaula.
Our elected officials should lead the way. Maybe our commissioners should meet with the Eufaula City Council and talk about ways the city could assist with animal control, or how our county commission could assist with engineering services on projects such as the proposed alternate route.
What a concept – municipal and county officials working together.
There are good men and women in both areas of government. They’re smart enough to work together to bring positive change.
Regarding our opposition to the proposal,  an additional $1.9 million per year in sales taxes is excessive.
Barbour County needs more money. Most county employees deserve a bump in pay and our smaller municipalities deserve animal control, better roads and adequate law enforcement. Commissioners aren’t lying when they say that some county employees will lose their jobs without the additional finances. This problem can’t be fixed with a Band-Aid. But we don’t think a quadruple-bypass surgery is needed, either.
County officials have offered few details on how this money would be spent. We doubt there is a loan officer in the county that would award a $1.9 million loan without detailed information about the request including a proposed budget and priority list.
Commissioner Frank Straughn, who is head of the commission’s finance committee, said this month that expenditures are running below budget. That is a pretty good indicator our county could survive and dare we say thrive with much less than $1.9 million.
Commissioners should pass some of the tax burden to land owners who are only paying pennies on the acre for their land. They can afford the additional taxes a lot more than our poorer residents who are already hurt by increasing gas and food prices.
A possible compromise could be a combination of additional property taxes and one-half cent sales tax increase that would exempt food and over-the-counter drugs. That would generate some money to help the county.
But more importantly, we need good dialogue on what can be done for this county. Some much needed teamwork would even be better than an extra $1.9 million in the coffers. Then maybe we could tear down this ridiculous wall.