Your source for community  topics and thoughts

Sounding off on a variety of topics
“I don’t drink, neither does my husband, and so I don’t need alcohol here, anywhere, and I don’t mind going to Cullman to eat at the resturants I want to go to and I don’t order alcohol so not all of us are what you guys call hypocrites. I moved here for the small town, alcohol won’t improve Hartselle, what provide jobs? We don’t need resturants to improve our quality of life, I think Hartselle is fine as it is. If I want a bigger city then I can go visit one. Being a Christian and the no vote are two different issues. I have a 12-year-old. I don’t want alcohol here for a safer enviroment, have you ever been married to or lived around a drunk? It’s not pleasant; they drive drunk, they are dangerous, obnoxious, and often abusive. Doesn’t sound like most of you have a clue about what being a Christian is.”

“Well! Priceville has buried its head in the sand just like Hartselle, but don’t worry Decatur, they will still depend on your alcohol sales to furnish them money! People are so stupid.”

“Regarding the new school and a look back, I would like to add to your concern, if I may. How is it they plan on staffing the new school, relocating seventh and eighth grade (or whatever grades) students into the old high school without hiring new staff and costing the city more?  How do they figure? Let’s add the new school, new utility bills added to the continued operation of the old facility, cafeteria workers, janitors, I guess all of this  will be donated under Obama care? Care and upkeep of what was described as a dilapidated high school, that students shouldn’t be in? So we are just going to put in a younger group of students that won’t complain as much? I don’t get it.”

“Our appointed School Board and employees at the Central Office applied for what they thought would be a $22.1 million grant as part of the Federal Stimulus Program. That’s all good and everything, except that it turned out to be a low interest loan. This is still good until we remember one thing, noone has ever told us what the interest rate is on this loan. To help make up the other $18.9 million we needed to fund a new $40 million  high school. Our elected officials passed a 1-cent sales tax for 30 years to make up the difference. This again is good until you realize that since this sales tax increase started on Jan. 1 the sales tax revenue to the city has decreased. Don’t worry though, with the new health care package passed in Washington last year, tanning is now taxable, so our sale tax revenue may go up a little. This may sound like a rehash of old topics, but I am going to put a new twist on it. This month the citizens voted for an elected school board.
Do you think an elected school board would have done the same thing as the current appointed school board? I don’t think they would have, they would be concerned about what the voters of Hartselle would have to say. To make a long story short, the city has borrowed $40 million to build a new high school. We have also been told that when the new high school opens in the fall of 2012, the school system will not have to hire any new employees. What I am wondering now is what will happen in the future. Will the school system break it’s word that it will not need new employees?”

The Hartselle Enquirer’s e-sound off is an  opportunity for residents to provide anonymous comments about community issues. All comments are subject to editing. The Editor reserves the right to refuse publication. In the event of several submissions on a single topic, a representative comment may be used. Comments can include your thoughts on local issues, questions about policies or procedures or praise for a community group, business or person. Email your comments to news@hartselleenquirer.com with “Sound-off” in subject line.