On December 6, I attended an informative meeting presented by the Sullivan County Legislature to present the budget for 2013. Many of the problems facing our legislators are problems not of their making; however, the tough choices that must be made now are in their hands. Residents of Sullivan County cannot afford any increase.

I applaud them for their efforts to rein in the massive fraud committed by people who take advantage of the system. I commend Randy Parker, the new commissioner of Health and Family Services, who, in a very short period of time, has identified almost $2,000,000 in cost savings for the taxpayers.

Shocking, but true, New York is one of only two states in the nation that requires counties to repay the state for federal mandates; Sullivan County’s share is over $21,000,000, money that our county does not have. We need to take the initiative and band together with other county governments and school boards to rebel against unfunded mandates. Individuals need to do their part to make our voices heard.

Contact Senator John Bonacic at 845/344-3311 and Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther at 845/342-9304 and ask them to address this problem.

Let’s stop complaining and start taking action.

Nancy Levine

Swan Lake, NY