I have been thinking about moving to Floyd County. I like the eclectic nature of the community and could see myself doing some flat footing on a Friday night. I did not want to leap before I looked so I decided to do some basic research and make some fair comparisons. Lo and behold, Floyd has got themselves some big problems.
Right off the bat I noticed Floyd spends way too much on education. Our supervisors are real sticklers about investing the minimum in educating our students. Those people up in Floyd spend almost $1.2 million more on local support for the school system than Patrick. I am surprised Lock has not gone up there to give those Floyd folks a good talking to about school spending. We all know how Lock can talk. Especially when it comes to school spending, never mind his account of the top-secret military base he had lined up for Patrick County! Some of the other folks down here who know the wastefulness of spending on education and how spendy the Patrick School Board is, may want to ride along with Lock to provide moral support. Maybe Dr. Sroufe will loan them a school bus to transport them up the mountain! Road trip to Floyd!
The next thing I noticed was that Floyd spends $3.3 million less on public safety than Patrick. Do the Floyd County Supervisors know how that paltry sum jeopardizes the safety of their citizens? Patrick spends $7.5 million. Of particular concern for us here in Patrick is that one of our supervisors works in Floyd County. I bet he never realized when at work he is $3.3 million short of the sort of safety he has helped to provide in Patrick. I hope while driving his truck on those backroads up there he is on the lookout. No doubt it is very dangerous. Being that one of the big hazards for delivery drivers is biting dogs, I did check the Floyd budget for animal control. Thank goodness, Floyd spends more on animal control!
Where are those supervisors in Floyd putting their priorities? On education? Animal Control?
I am already having second thoughts about my relocation.
But there is also the issue of recreation! Those folks up in Floyd only spend half as much as we do on having fun! They must be a hard-working bunch up there with no time to have fun! As they say, “all work and no play makes Floyd a dull boy”! Glad we have plenty of money to spend for the benefit of our relaxation in Patrick County.
Then we have the spending on Community Development. Can you believe Floyd spends almost $700,000 less for that than Patrick? I think when you drive through Patrick you can see where that million a year has made a big difference. We even have a sign that says LOVE! How about that! Floyd has a long way to go to catch up. After all, does Patrick really want to be written up in Southern Living, The New York Times, Gardens and Guns and the Wall Street Journal? Heck no, for that million dollars a year we plan to remain a well-kept secret and LOVE it!
Part of the problem may be that the supervisors in Floyd only make half as much as ours do. As the old saying goes, “you get what you pay for”. And I can tell you we sure do. No doubt at all. I am sure our Supervisors would not be half as good if they only made half as much. Goodness knows they are at their best when spending money like its someone else’s. After all taxes in Floyd are going to run behind those in Patrick. Floyd is not even going to have a tax increase this year.
But I am running on. You probably already guessed I have decided to stay put. I must have had a case of the vapors when I even considered it. Who in their right mind would want to join the three or four thousand others who have left Patrick in the last few years?
Don’t count me among them. I want to stay where my taxes are high, where the minimum is spent on education, where my safety is high-priced, I have plenty of recreation, a sign that says LOVE and the supervisors are paid enough to look out for the government employees!
Bill Moore
Woolwine