Budget choices not happy ones

There are a lot of folks from outside Douglas County who nod knowingly when they hear of our county's budget troubles.

Members of the Legislature have been known to tsk, tsk at the county's unwillingness to raise taxes without the voters' consent.

Leaders in places with more pliant residents wonder aloud how Douglas can refuse to implement so many taxes authorized by the state.

It's true that in some cases, the county probably could have approved a utility fee here or a sales tax increase there without going to the voters. They might have had to suffer some abuse, but they get plenty of that anyway.

But they do go to the voters, because when they haven't, the voters have come after them.

The county has come in for repeated criticism from some quarters about some of the deals its made to gain solvency.

Like all criticism, some is warranted and some is not.

The majority of Douglas County residents do not look to the government to solve their problems and have repeatedly rejected requests for money to support something that might benefit the public welfare.

With no choice but to balance the budget, county commissioners are faced with the only means they have to do so, raise taxes and cut expenses.

That's not a choice we envy them, but it's one every one of us has to make.