Citizens should write legislators about roads
Dear Editor,

Thank you for your articles on transportation. They clearly show that because of our legislators' failure to live up to their obligation to provide for roads, our county government is being forced to carry some of the burden. What many citizens don't realize is that for every one cent of the real estate tax rate revenue used for roads, our schools lose $1.9 million. If, as the county has proposed, we appropriate five cents of the tax rate for roads over the next five years, this amounts to almost $10 million lost by our school system. This amount equates to a one-time 3 1/2 percent salary increase for our teachers, or one year's salary for 182 new teachers or 143 new school buses or funding for $100 million in capital improvements over the next 20 years.

The county also proposes to cap the tax revenue from our businesses so that future reductions in the rate, which should encourage economic development, might be limited.

We, the citizens of Chesterfield County, need to let our legislators know that we expect them to live up to their obligation and provide us with safe and efficient roads. If we don't speak out now, we will have no one to blame but ourselves. (To locate your legislator and contact information, log on to legis.state.va.us and click on "Who's My Legislator?")
Matt Alexander
Midlothian