It should be obvious on even a moment's reflection that we need to prepare the workforce of the future to move forward. If we hold back on our children's education, we're hurting them and ourselves. We must strive to make this generation better than the last, not worse. Moreover, the AISD's need for more local taxes is not the result of increased spending. Over the past decade, local school property taxes have increased 85 percent across Texas but only 44 percent in Abilene.
Education here is still a bargain.
The county's situation is more problematic. Now, county commissioners see they can go to the well only so many times. Those dips and bad investments by a former county treasurer have depleted the fund balance, which now needs to be rebuilt. Such a windfall is a tailor-made umbrella for a rainy day. If a real emergency hits, like a tornado or a flood, having those dollars on hand could make all the difference.