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From:
Subject: Of Interest to Bedford Researchers
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2003 23:18:26 EDT


I thought that this might be of interest to anybody who lives in
Bedford, or has been doing research there, looking for ancestors....

I find it.... interesting (I'm keeping it G-rated) that you don't/won't
hear about this in the Bedford Gazette, but I've come to the general
conclusion that the only thing that it's good for is the Obituary
section. Maybe their in cahoots, maybe they don't care. I don't know....
Anything of any real news content, you won't hear about.
In fact, it's irony that I've pretty much discovered that if you want to
read about what's really going on in Bedford County, you need to
get the Johnstown paper. But I'm getting off-track......

The ever-present, tax-hungry bureau-rats that sit in Bedford
have come up with a little scheme that they are trying to push
through.

It seems that, in their minds, a lot of the churches which are
no longer active in membership (but whose cemeteries contain our
ancestors and loved ones) shouldn't qualify as tax-exempt anymore,
like the other "active" churches do. So they want churches like Mt.
Hope & Mt. Zion in Southampton Twp, the Frame Church in Monroe
Twp, etc. should all pay taxes on the property that the buildings
occupy. Now, I haven't quite figured out where they think that this $$
is going to come from. Their answer, quote, "Well, you can always
sell the property." (I'm dead serious!)

My cousin, Donna Kisamore, has been a leading voice in trying
to get them to see how ludicrous of an idea this really is. She has been
attempting to get in touch with the tax-board's lawyer. He refuses to
return her call. So she went straight to the tax-board, whose answer
was, "You need to talk to our lawyer." Hmmmmmmmm........
She has been trying to get an opinion as to whether if the church
gives the property to the cemetery associations, if this will exempt the
property, but the above-mentioned lawyer won't return her calls.
I told her that she just needs to park herself in his lobby, that maybe
he'll talk to her just to get rid of her.......

Is this outrageous, or what!?!? Anybody with any interest in the
proceedings of this should get in touch with her, and lend a hand,
a phonecall, etc., that you can. Let these tax-hungry weasels know
that they need to spend the tax dollars that they get in a more
appropriate manner, and stop trying to squeeze even more out of the
county, at the expense of our history!

Jerry Miller

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