To the Editor:

I have a question for the Town of Troutman residents: Given the massive tax increase bestowed upon us by the Iredell County Board of Commissioners, coupled with the massive increase in taxes gifted upon us by the mayor and Troutman Town Council, is there much more we can possibly take?

On March 13, council members approved a 16 percent (or $30,000) annual salary increase to Town Manager Ron Wyatt’s salary, now at $188,140 a year. That is just his base pay. To put this in perspective, Wyatt was hired on January 4, 2021, with a salary of $91,500 per year, along with a $600 monthly car allowance. That’s not too bad for a town of maybe 3,000 citizens at the time. With this recent pay hike, Wyatt has received salary increases amounting to over 105 percent (or $96,640) over four years.

What have the taxpayers received in return?

Most citizens are livid about the disorderly and unmanaged growth that continues in the Troutman. Many are unhappy with the traffic problems resulting from this unruly growth. And then there is the insane cost that residents get to pay the town for sewer and water each month.

If I had one wish, I would wish Elon Musk appear at Troutman Town Hall and “DOGE” that place. At the end of the day, this sort of governing happens because we the people allow it to happen. I regularly follow my local government, but I seldom see any outcry from the public on why this is allowed to keep happening.

If this is the government you want, just sit on your hands and enjoy it. We are in this mess because we allow it to happen.

This is shameful.

Dan Hester
Troutman