The Gadfly is a series of letters offering commentary on local issues and published in the Warrensburg Gazette.

Dear Editor

It seems that the Park Board has decided to bite the bullet and cut operating hours and raise some fees at the "palace" (community center); usage counts don't support the current level of service. That's the type of decision they're appointed to make.

It's disappointing that the Parks Director and several Park Board members still want to substitute a sales tax for some of the property tax they get. They figure that Warrensburg residents will vote for a tax on someone else. Personally, I doubt if this ploy will work unless the Park Board & staff prove they can manage what they already get. Taxing non-residents, via a sales tax, is just a form of taxation without representation. Warrensburg sales tax rates are already high; lots of other towns have lower tax rates, so merchants who sell large-ticket items should take a close look at any new tax proposal.

Congratulations to Warrensburg Main Street and the County Commission for reaching a compromise on the walkway around the Old Drum statue and allowing the privately-funded project to beautify the courthouse square to continue. Of course, they're saying "No" to memorializing the family pet - I wonder if they'll make folks sign an affidavit that "Sandy" is human. Arf.

At the last City Council meeting, the City Manager, responding to a citizen complaint about drainage in the Zoll/Clark Streets area, said something to the effect that dealing with the problem in that area may cause problems downstream. Farmer Bob says that'd be the first time anyone showed any concern about what's downstream from a local project.