Another taxpayers’ nightmare in the city of Dunkirk and surrounding area that are attached to the Dunkirk School District, and the Dunkirk library.

The Dunkirk school district deserves every cent that they are entitled to teach our children, so vote for the school taxes only and nothing else. The nothing else is the Dunkirk Free Library, which has been always supported by the taxpayers in the city of Dunkirk for years at $135,000 on a yearly basis.

In fact, they were taken care of first before any other issue for the city was discussed. By going first, other city departments were neglected with equipment that was needed first. Now this same library was stopped by the City Council for any further funding of the $135,000. So what does the Dunkirk library for future funding do, but to turn to the Dunkirk School District. Not for the previous $135,000. Now they want $350,000 to be paid separately in your tax bill.

The separate account will be for the Dunkirk library, meaning there will be another line for a tax on your bill. So from $135,000, their budget at the library will jump up to $235,000 more than they were receiving from the city of Dunkirk from the past.

I don’t think the school district needs the added aggravation in this matter. We all know how important our schools are and we don’t mind supporting our schools. But why the library? It is not part of our school system, so why do we have to support them? Again, this school district doesn’t need this burden of collecting money for the Dunkirk library. Residents must vote “no” on the proposition for the Dunkirk Library and vote “yes” for our schools only.

The library submitted 25 signatures to the Dunkirk school board to be placed on the proposition. I think if we had to, the taxpayers could get at least 500 signatures to show the Dunkirk library that we as taxpayers don’t need this added burden on our taxes for the library. We support only our schools and nothing else.

Another sore subject that I as a taxpayer have is that those who don’t pay taxes for the school system have a right to vote where those tax dollars go. That is not right because the non-taxpayers don’t pay into the system, that money is not theirs to vote on. That money belongs to those who pay into the system, that being the taxpayers only.

Richard Makuch is a Dunkirk resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com