Dear Editor: I am a business man here in Marengo County. I know the challenges of expenses versus revenues, as do so many others that are in business. I sympathize with the county commissioners that feel that they need more money. I find it a little less easy to sympathize with them when I hear and read of their attitude toward the citizens of Marengo County.

I do not think they should ask for additional revenue until they get input from the citizens of Marengo County. They should then present a serious and well thought out plan of where additional money should be allocated if it was available. After they have done this, they should allow the citizens to vote on the plan.

As a business man, I am always getting input from my customers and I try to produce a product that they desire to purchase based on their input. They always have the final say on whether they like what we produce by voting either “to buy or not to buy.”

The same should be done by the commissioners. They should get input from the citizens. They should propose a plan that spells out where additional money will go if available. And then let the citizens vote yes or now. No end runs. No keeping the citizens out of the process. No haughty attitude of “we know what’s best.” Let the citizens decide if they want to finance the plan.

This would be the accountable government that we need. Anything less is underhanded and wreckless.