Editor; Gazette-Journal: As a Mathews County landowner, taxpayer, and proud graduate of our public school system, I am strongly endorsing the 1 percent local retail sales tax referendum this November. Our real estate tax rate has already climbed six cents in just two years. Asking property owners to singlehandedly shoulder the burden of our aging school infrastructure is simply no longer sustainable. Every surrounding locality has already figured out how to make visitors, weekenders, and out-of-county contractors help fund their communities. I would rather pay an extra penny on a retail purchase than see another forced property tax increase on a home I cannot move. This referendum is a fair, legally safeguarded solution to protect our schools without draining local homeowners. Enabled by state legislation, this 1 percent sales tax is strictly locked into school building renovations. It cannot be used for salaries or operations, and the tax automatically expires by July 1, 2046. Local l...