Editor, The Herald:

This is an open letter to the Board of Supervisors of Prince Edward County.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I found it quite interesting to read the article in the Farmville Herald on Friday, April 19th concerning the need to restore funds to the County Budget to support all of the School needs.

My first thought was “I wonder how many of those advocating raising Real Estate Taxes actually own real estate?”

We moved to Prospect in 2011 and one of the major reasons that we selected Prince Edward County to build our house and live here for the rest of our lives was the lower tax rate. We could have selected any surrounding county but, being seniors on fixed incomes, we needed to be where we could afford to live. We don't want that to change.

We fully support funding our schools. However, there are other ways to raise money for legitimate needs in lieu of raising real estate taxes. Supporting our schools is a privilege that should not be restricted to land owners. Everybody should be able to share in this endeavor!! One example for alternate income would be a one-cent increase in the sales tax to be dedicated to schools. This would allow renters and others to participate!

One item mentioned in the newspaper article concerned the need for books to be used on the device “Kindle”. I feel strongly that the use of devices to read books for students takes away the pleasure of enjoying the reading and it also diminishes their chances for improvement of their reading skills. LET THEM READ!!

Please understand, we are willing to do our part but feel very strongly that the burden, even though it may be light, should be spread over all county residents.

A very vocal few can not be allowed to speak for the entire county.

Furman Joye

Prospect