We are very encouraged by the timeline county officials recently set for proposing another round of penny sales tax projects. The proposed date for a county vote on a referendum is a year and a half away, November 2010. Those 18 months should allow time to work up a proposed project list that is thoroughly thought out and well-planned and budgeted.

With a schedule like this:

• Three months to select commission members. Those who will propose the project list for a referendum will hopefully have not only have a firm grasp of community desires, but also the resources and skills to translate those desires into a sensible plan.

• Two and a half months, starting in April 2010, for commission members to sift through project proposals made by agencies for inclusion in the final recommended list for council.

• County Council finishing its votes on the project list for the referendum in August 2010.

• Three months for the public to sift through the proposal, and make its own sound decision at the voting booth.

Voters in the county have shown themselves willing to pay an extra penny on services to upgrade and refine our public venues. But those extra pennies add up and voters must know how the money is spent, and that it is for the good of our communities and county. Using our public funds wisely, even those that are technically “extra” is of utmost importance. We wish the future commission members and county council great clarity as they set forth on proposing a plan for any future penny collections that fuses our desires, our needs and our support, and anxiously await the proposed plan on future penny collections. A solid plan with a strong foundation will lead voters in the right direction.