Pay attention to the big numbers, too

In the headlines in the Opinion Section, the Daily Herald editors implore us to "Pay attention to local financial issues." The article hits hard at the key issue of garbage pickup rates and frequency. You want us to react to a possible monthly increase of $10.35 in one suburb.

On the front page, we get a matter-of-fact article on the Arlington Heights Board of Trustees discussion of the final recommendation for a new $27 million police station. Buried on the Page 4 is a paragraph on how the "police department will use the fourth floor of (the) Arlington Heights Village Hall for evidence storage ... as a way to minimize space needs at the new station."

Yes, that is the same $40 million dollar Village Hall that just had to have a fourth floor on it for what we now find out is storage space.

Next time you drive by the Village Hall and see the huge roof, know that we had to have this extravaganza for "storage."

Also in the same edition is a column by Jake Griffin "Suburban Tax Watchdog," who unearthed information on the amount that suburban townships spend in administration fees to give aid to the needy ("percent to aid" ranged from a low of 7.1 percent or administration fees of $131,000 to actual aid given out of $11,000 to a high of 39.8 percent or $$307,000 to dispense $203,000 of aid).

Nowhere in the story is there any mention of whether or not the exorbitant salaries of the townships elected officials are included in Mr. Griifin's administration fee calculations.

Yes, Daily Herald editors you are right about "pay attention to local financial issues," but really start looking at the big numbers not the small ones because they are in your own paper if you just look.

Jack Halpin

Arlington Heights