Dear Editor,

I read with interest the discussion on these pages brought on by Mr. Long’s letter from July 26, 2013. As a resident of the "privileged" neighborhood he writes of, I am still looking for all of these special services he claims we receive. The daily street sweepers and extra trash pickup must occur in the dark of night as I have never seen it. What I have seen is an increase in taxes, utility rates and solid waste fees with a reduction in service. We can no longer leave bulk household trash on the curb for pickup. I am in the minority in Covington and do not own a pickup truck which requires me to impose on friends….I digress.

Another letter to the editor also claims that more resources are spent on the east ward of the city as compared to the west ward. The writer then describes problems in the west ward with the implication that they are caused by this unequal distribution of city resources. Based on west ward troubles she cites in her letter, I would say the west ward consumes more than its fair share of city resources, i.e. police protection.

I do not know how those responsible decide on how to distribute Covington’s resources. I do know that I get the same utility service, fire protection, and police protection as any other resident. The garbage trucks and school buses roll through the east ward, just like the west ward.

I have seen city workers making repairs all over the city to roads, sewers, pipes, etc. If we are going to have the argument about distribution of city resources, we should also discuss where these resources come from. I would be happy to share my property tax bill with you. Perhaps, it’s only fair we have equality on both sides of the resource equation.