LETTER: Doubts expressed over State Fair job claims

I would like to comment on two stories in The Independent on Mayor Hornady. On Aug. 10, she discussed the city budget shortfalls and on Aug. 11, she discussed various methods for tax increases to fund the budget shortfalls and to pay for the State Fair's move to Grand Island. Raising property taxes was the preferred method for funding, as both stories pointed out.

In early June and again on Aug. 11, it was reported that supporters of the Fair's move and Mayor Hornady would meet in "closed door sessions." What are they hiding? A month ago, it was reported in The Independent that there would be a 21 percent increase in Grand Island property taxes because of city reserve fund shortages. Earlier it was reported in an Independent story that the city's reserve fund was only $2 million. The reserve fund had $14 million in 2001. In that same Independent story, it was reported that $7.5 million of the city's reserve fund had gone to the Heartland Events Center. Proponents of the Events Center also got $1 million from Hall County; $8.5 million of tax payers' money.

Another lady, in a letter to the editor, said she'd talked to most of the exhibitors and vendors at the State Fair in Lincoln. They said they won't come to Grand Island. By the third year, attendance at the State Fair in Grand Island will be way down along with the revenue, contrary to what supporters claim.

The amount of $250,000 could be used to hire three new police officers, a new 911 dispatcher, two new sheriff's deputies and do road and bridge repairs all over the county. Cindy Johnson's claim of creating 560 new jobs is dubious at best.

Gary Kelsch

1808 W. Second St., No. 4