Editor, Gazette Journal:

I am asking all Gloucester residents to vote “yes” for Gloucester, a proposed sales tax increase referendum. Our schools have needed repairs and renovations for some time, and the situation will only get worse. When we vote “yes” for the proposed sales tax referendum, we are creating a means to pay for the $48 million Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for Gloucester schools. The board of supervisors has already approved the GCPS CIP, but how this will be paid for has not been determined. One option for funding is to increase real estate taxes. This option puts the burden of payment on Gloucester property owners. The alternative is to pass the Sales Tax Referendum which would authorize up to a 1 percent increase on sales tax, with the increase being paid for by everyone who pays sales tax in Gloucester, whether they are residents or not.

As a retired teacher from GCPS and as a resident of Gloucester, I know how dedicated we are to providing schools that, at ...