The Leigh Dam: Nothing to Celebrate!

The notorious and divisive Leigh Dam Project has gotten final approval and is now set to go ahead.

Apparently--according to the article in the Leigh World--there was a celebration held at the NRD by the dam supporters.

I will not go extensively into to the details of why we did not need this fiasco in the first place (waste of money, unnecessary, enviromental and social impact, opposition from the local community). However suffice it to say that this project--and the NRD itself--is part of the same wasteful tax and spend mentality as the public school system is in this area. And once again we see how a little group of willful people can add to the already burdensome property tax bill that property owners are forced to pay.

The people who had occasion to "celebrate" have nothing to be happy about. Before they pop the champagne cork, they need to remember that this hideous and outrageous "project" was forced through over the EXTENSIVE and INTENSE opposition of many in the Leigh Community. And also that much of the impetus was the result of devious and secret behind-the-scenes political maneuvering.

It has been said that the NRD is to ask the local high school to come-up with a name for the dam and recreation area. I strongly suspect that the original "suggestion" for this came from a certain Mr. P or a Mr. C , since it bears all the hallmarks of the cheesy self-promotion these guys are known for.

Whoever is responsible for this silly PR stunt, I have a suggestion for what the dam should be called:

The Eugene Heitz Farm Memorial Dam

At least by doing this, they will have acknowledged who is most affected by this dam. And who had to sacrifice the most on a basic level to allow this shameful and wasteful project to come to pass.

Decisive defeat of CCC levy increase shows need for property tax reduction

The decisive defeat in the recent election of the CCC levy increase request (almost 70 % against) shows that people and property owners are in no mood to continue the high property tax levels to support schools.

With the recent downturn in the economy, school consolidation is now imperative. The Leigh school district MUST proceed with consolidation with all deliberate speed. There is no sense in pursuing and waiting for useless "studies" of this issue! Conosolidation is a proven method of reducing the property tax burden. Maintaining these small schools in Dodge, Howells, Clarkson and not to mention Leigh is an outdated system that is only supported by a few extremely vocal local people who see their "good thing" with the school being threatened.

Everyone who is concerned about the property tax burden in the Leigh 39 district needs to keep up the pressure on the school board to IMMEDIATELY pursue consolidation!

property tax relief needed with bad economy

With the economy tanking and home prices falling, now more then ever we need property tax relief.

School consolidation has become imperative. Property owners in the Leigh District 39 can no longer afford this tax extortion. Keeping a school in Leigh is an outdated system that is no longer relevant to the huge economic and social changes that have occurred over the last 30 years!

It is outrageous that so many in the Leigh area are forced to maintain the fiction that "Leigh needs a school!" And it is even worse because it is being done to support a few selfish and self-centered individuals who are only looking out for their own interests.

The benefits of school consolidation FAR outweigh the disadvantages! We need immediate consolidation of all the schools between Creston and Dodge!

good career counseling--another reason for consolidation

One of the most important things that a young person needs today is good career counseling. The economy of today is drastically different then what it was 20 years ago. If a young person stays in Leigh, about the only options for jobs are the Coop or the local hog confinement operation.

The present school can NEVER provide the counseling that a student needs. At the most, the counselor can only be a part timer who is also teaching English and coaching the girls volleyball team. The counseling I had was ridiculous---basically given a handful of college brochures and a "good luck".

Bad career counselling and the subsequent bad career decision can be devastating. It can take years to overcome getting into a bad profession.

If we had a larger school, there could be a dedicated student counseling department with full time counselors. The counselor would be someone who has had knowledge and experience of the larger world out there, and NOT someone who has barely gotten out of the Platte/Colfax county area in their entire lives.

Desperately seeking property tax relief

Let's not beat around the bush: Property taxes in the Leigh District 39 are outrageous!

Eighty percent of the property tax levy goes to support the local Leigh school district.

Property tax payers in the Leigh area desperately need immediate and real property tax relief. Reducing the expenditures for the local school is the answer, and SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION is the ONLY viable alternative to reduce the property tax burden.

We MUST have immediate and determined efforts to consolidate the Leigh, Howells, Dodge, and Clarkson public school districts. Here we have FIVE separate school districts within a 20 mile distance. This is no longer sustainable.

A few individuals who have well-profited having good local jobs in the Leigh community school are the main opponents to any real reform. Determined to protect their jobs in a community where such jobs are scarce to non-existent. We CANNOT let this small minority--the "school at any cost" people to continue to oppose high property taxes on the rest of us! The truth must be faced that Leigh (and the other communities mentioned) cannot afford to keep individual schools. The benefits of consolidation are immediate and well-documented. We must have serious efforts towards school consolidation NOW!

Out of Control NRDs

It is interesting to note that the Natural Resources Districts of Nebraska have a highly paid, and quite questionably professional, staff. And yet they are ambivalent but probably and most likely unaware and ignorant of this blog which has heavily and repeatedly criticized the Lower Elkhorn NRD for its support of the Leigh Dam Project. I have repeatedly pointed out that the Leigh dam project is a fiasco, supported by only a handful of bullying so-called upstanding citizens of Leigh. Please, please, please stop wasting my tax dollars! It is time for the board to stop funding this project and do what is right to the good farmers of this community who have lost their land to the Leigh Dam Project.

Next Time: Leigh School Taxes Squandered

Stay tuned for a major expose on how our Leigh school taxes are being squandered on staff time.