Gomers: What's going wrong

Gazette Editorial Board

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42 PERCENT MORE? The dispute between the Johnson County Board of Supervisors and the board that oversees the county's 1-year-old joint emergency communications center hasn't gone away. The two boards began clashing over the budget a couple of years ago, with supervisors questioning the amount of funding required from local property taxes. Now, the center's initial asking is for 42 percent more in property taxes for the fiscal year that begins July 1. We agree with supervisors who object to such a huge increase. The center should focus on ways to function effectively within a more realistic funding level.

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STUDENT DEBT: After dropping from second to fourth in the nation for average student loan debt among 2009 graduates of public universities and private colleges and universities, Iowa climbed to third place in 2010. The average debt among Iowa graduates increased from $28,883 to $29,598, the Project on Student Debt reported. New Hampshire ($31,048) and Maine ($29,983) were higher. Iowa State University's average of $30,062 was highest among the state's public universities but continued its decline from a 2006 high.

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