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June 20, 2011 (Regular Meeting) Page 510 The second item of concern is one that in my opinion carries more concern than any other, and that is the difficulty our respective boards have had communicating regarding this matter. We, the town council of Harrisburg, have sent numerous emails with no response from our Mayor and Council. We have left voicemail messages as well as text messages that have gone unanswered from many of the Board members. As elected officials and governing bodies of shared districts, we have a responsibility and an obligation to those we represent to communicate and operate as a team and not as adversaries. Four years ago when I was elected to my first term on the Harrisburg Town Council, I came over here to this board and spoke to you regarding my excitement and enthusiasm for fostering an environment of open communication and partnership in our respective boards. I stand here today disheartened by the level of communication with the elected officials of the Town of Harrisburg concerning our request for a fire tax levy. One of your members, whom we were grateful to have, has sat in our Council meetings on many occasions and interacted with our board at the Land Use Planning meetings and many other functions has not returned an email, phone call or text message to our Mayor. If the board has a compelling reason not to honor our request for a fire tax increase that is justified and centered in a concern by the citizens represented in the Harrisburg Fire District, then we should be sitting down to talk about those concerns as a team and not closing the doors of communication with the representatives of the residents of Harrisburg. I'll conclude my comments this evening with a last request that you approve the fire tax levy increase sought by the Town of Harrisburg and its citizens in order to maintain an equal fire tax rate for the entire fire district served equally by the Harrisburg Fire Department and the reading into the record of an email by a concerned resident outside of municipal district of Harrisburg but in the County district. The email from Laura Carriker is as follows: I feel very strongly about which I am about to write and felt the urgency to correspond prior to your budget hearing tonight. Therefore please excuse the haste with which I write. I am aware of budgetary woes of all levels of government in these dire economic times and as so many citizens, I worry about my own financial future. As everyone else, I am loathe to pay taxes but understand they are a necessary `evil' if we are to enjoy the things we do as free citizens of these beloved United States. One of the necessary services provided by municipalities is police and fire protection among many other vital services. In Harrisburg, we are privileged to have one of the best fire departments in the county. It was a great volunteer operation and now is under the management of the Town of Harrisburg continuing to provide area residents, both in and out of the town limits with emergency response and fire protection. I am aware that certain assessment and ratings influence homeowner's insurance rates. Fortunately, Harrisburg has historically been rated high thus saving me and other residents money on our insurance. As a resident, I also value quick response to an emergency. If budgetary cuts force a reduction in staffing, it will have a serious impact on response time and efficiency. I would hate to be in a crisis situation with an ill or injured loved one or a burning house counting the minutes while waiting for First Responders or fire protection. Without adequate staffing and equipment, it might come to an either or situation when responding. Would you want to be number two (2) in a situation like that? I sure wouldn't. There is waste in various entities that should be evaluated and dealt with. There are certainly areas where spending can be trimmed. Public safety is NOT one of them. As a citizen of Cabarrus County and a 40 yr. resident of the greater Harrisburg area (married to a lifetime resident) I