Tonight, I attended the first organizational meeting for the Clermont County Mental Retardation/Developmentally Disabled (MRDD) Board levy campaign. Ordinarily, a campaign organization working to pass a levy issue in November would have begun much earlier. But our county commissioners, understandably, wanted to await giving approval to having the ballot issue before the voters this November until after an extensive audit of the Clermont MRDD, done by State Auditor Betty Montgomery, was completed.

That audit, which looked at management and financial practices of the Clermont MRDD, concluded that the agency is soundly operated. The 128-page report also made helpful suggestions for improved operations.

The modest operating levy that the county commissioners enthusiastically approved placing on this November's ballot will allow the Clermont MRDD to continue to provide excellent and necessary services to the county's mentally and developmentally handicapped. To me, this is about as appropriate and defensible a use of my property taxes as I can name and I'm happy to volunteer in helping the campaign on behalf of those who can't really campaign for themselves.

It seems to me that when citizens or public officials are faced with decisions, there are two paramount questions that need to be answered from a Christian perspective: (1) Is it right? (2) Does it make sense? The reason for the first question: God wants us to do right. The reason for the second: God gave us our minds with the obvious hope that we would use them.

I could be wrong in my judgment on the MRDD levy. But I personally believe that it is both right and sensible. I hope that the voters of our county will agree.