To the editor:

I am so tired of the misinformation coming from our elected officials. The debt for this music center belongs to the taxpayers. It always has. It will remain the taxpayers’ debt for the next 30 years.

Brown County government pledged $568,000 of the approximately $1,000,000 innkeepers tax revenue to pay a debt owed by the county for the music venue. Yet, they gave that innkeepers tax money to the CVC, to give to the CVB ($718,000) and to pay for construction cost. The CVB and CVC spent the entire annual tax revenue in 2018, with council approval. The council failed to retain any of that tax revenue to pay this debt.

Now, the Republican council is saying they are loaning $150,000 of our road money to the Brown County Music Center. The council is NOT loaning that money to BCMC. They are loaning it to themselves to pay for debt they acquired.

The people need the truth. How are we ever going to trust our government when they will NOT tell the truth?

When we start collecting innkeepers tax again, the council needs to keep their promise to the taxpayers and start saving innkeepers tax to pay this debt. We need three months’ worth of mortgage payments sitting in our bank at all times. I asked for this in 2017. I am asking for it again. Protect the taxpayers.

Sherrie Mitchell, Brown County

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