In the December 16th Loudon City Council meeting one of the agenda items was a request to make a budget amendment to fund charities. In a year where taxes were raised to balance the city budget, it was proposed to give $17,718 of city funds, collected via taxes to charity. I opposed this on principle, and let public and councilmen know of my opinion on the subject. This item did fail to pass with a 3 to 2 vote on council: Cardwell, Newman and Ridings voting no, with Dixon and Mayor Harris voting yes. Charitable giving should be voluntary, and donating money collected via taxation I disagree with.
While I agree with the outcome on this agenda item, I will also say that we as a community and myself as an individual should support local charities. These charities help members of the community most directly and have a greater impact close to home than other national organizations. The list proposed in the city agenda is a great place to start. Learn about these organizations and how they contribute to community. In the season of giving please consider a donation to these local organizations:
CASA of the Tennessee Valley
Child Advocacy Center
Good Samaritan Center
Iva’s Place
Our Place