Letter to the editor: Hempfield tax hike

Regarding the article “Tax increase included in draft Hempfield Area budget” (May 22, TribLIVE): No one would argue against better curriculum or more police officers for the district. But can someone please explain to me how a $30 million increase in the construction costs is not the reason for a tax increase?

If we are concerned about safety, then we should learn from the most recent school shooting. A giant glass entrance may look pretty and get the construction manager and the architect an award, but it won’t keep our children safe and will cost us unnecessary money.

A couple of things right off the top to save money might be having the no-bid contractor Sitelogiq pay for the building permit. Don’t give them a tax exemption for the school. Cut some of the frills and ridiculous finishes or maybe even shop around for the best price; the public doesn’t even know where the money is going.

Some questions for school board member Vince DeAugustine might be, what was the price for plumbing, HVAC, flooring, etc., and how many bidders, and what were their prices? This is standard information that all school districts and government projects are expected to disclose.

I think I speak for some residents in saying that if I wanted to live in Peters Township, I would move there, but I enjoy living in Hempfield because of the low taxes and rural lifestyle.

Todd Neptune

Hempfield