VOTING: Penny wise, pound foolish

Curious about what would happen to my current voting place with an almost 50 percent reduction in voting precincts, I attended the commissioners meeting Tuesday, Dec. 20. The reason given for the changes and the ever-enticing bait was "save costs to taxpayers."

Anticipated cost savings to the county are projected to be $59,000 in an odd election year and $79,000 a year in an even year. Stated was: "(could decrease property tax amount by 20 percent and 27 percent a year)."

How could I save $160 a year when the entire county of 83,000 taxing parcels was only saving $59,000, I wondered? I quickly found out that the 20 percent/27 percent was a percentage of the county taxes that pay for elections. The total county budget is $74,127,159. The total elections budget is $521,000 or .07 percent of the total. Of the $521,000, 55 percent comes from property taxes, or .038 percent. Oh darn, I'll save 30 cents a year. That 20 percent to 27 percent must apply to much grander properties than mine.

This plan almost doubles the number of voters in each precinct without adding any extra workers. Voters may have to wait an additional hour or drive another 10 miles to vote. Isn't your time, plus the cost of gasoline, worth more than a potential savings of maybe $1 a year? If our county really wants to save money on elections they should urge our legislators in Boise to pass vote-by-mail-only legislation as the state of Washington has done. Look this gift horse in the mouth!

JANET CALLEN

Coeur d'Alene