Editor, Gazette-Journal:

I was one of the speakers at the March 25 public hearing on the proposed Gloucester County budget. In short, I told the board of supervisors that, in these times of reduced incomes and employment for Gloucester citizens, it is unconscionable to propose a budget that would increase property taxes by 10 percent, the taxes on watercraft (both private and commercial) by 200 percent, and the county’s indebtedness by over 50 percent. At present, 10 cents of every tax dollar we pay goes to service the debt, and they want to increase that!

At the same time, we are being hit with sharp increases in the price of gas, food and about everything else. Just why should the county feel free to increase its spending now, leaving the citizenry to foot the bill?

Gloucester’s budget should be the same as, or even less than, last year’s. Yes, we were told that the increases were because of Gloucester’s pressing "needs." I’m sorry, but we all ha...