Mood change: County commissioner rethinking the cost of school improvements

A while back, Joe Daughtery, chairman of the Wayne County Board of Commissioners, announced that commissioners, who are in the middle of putting together a budget for 2016-17, were in no mood to raise taxes.

We applauded the announcement. We are in no mood to pay higher taxes.

But then, commissioners got a firsthand look at conditions at some of the county's schools. In many cases, they were deplorable. And Daughtery revised his statement, saying that when it comes to the new budget, "everything" will be on the table, adding that he was embarrassed by what he saw at some of the schools, especially those attended by children from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

Daughtery stopped short of calling for a tax increase. But the county cannot afford second-rate schools, particularly those that affect the base. The quality of life of its airmen is one big factor in determining whether the base stays or becomes a target of the upcoming Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

There is no sense in being penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Published in Editorials on May 15, 2016 12:43 AM