Speak Out: We’ve Been Getting By

Speak Out,

I’d like to address this to the ones running our little town of Doniphan here. The way I’m understanding it, you’re wanting us to vote for a tax increase to pay for a full-time prosecuting attorney from basically $50,000 a year to $100,000 a year. But all these years we’ve gotten by with a part-time prosecuting attorney. Why would we want to vote for a full time when we’ve gotten by with a part-time? That would be like owning a business and hiring full-time when all you need is part-time. Sounds to me like you guys are trying to run our little town like the politicians in Washington are and expect us taxpayers to pay for it all. That don’t make no sense to me. I don’t understand, maybe I am misunderstanding something.

*Editor’s note: The salary for a full-time prosecuting attorney is set by the state of Missouri, not Ripley County. If the sales tax does not pass, there will only be a part-time appointed - not elected - prosecutor. We haven’t been “getting by” with a part-time prosecuting attorney. No one is willing to do the prosecutor’s job as part-time because it is currently a full-time caseload, requiring 40 hours rather than the part-time hours dedicated now.