As the new year inches forward, many people are still trying to wrap their heads around the idea that it is now 2009.

Residents of East Laurinburg have had to come to grips with that reality sooner than some. Unless some thing or someone intervenes, the town's recently approved tax bill is already overdue.

Some residents are miffed that the East Laurinburg Board of Commissioners voted last month to levy a tax rate of 30 cents for every $100 of property valuation. For a homeowner with a $100,000 home, that decision comes with a $300 price tag. In light of economic hard times and on the heels of holiday spending, this additional bill is akin to a New Year's Eve hangover.

Of course, it is more than just the money. This newspaper gets a letter every few days from a East Laurinburg citizen concerned about how the whole issue was handled.

East Laurinburg has never levied a tax before. That fact alone would seem to warrant widespread discussion between leaders and residents. What officials did instead was hold a public meeting without providing the public with a clear understanding that a tax increase would be discussed.

The contention by Mayor Randy Miller and others that public notice was given is true. The town did place a meeting notice in the newspaper. But it only provided the where and when — not the what.

Most towns hold numerous workshops and a public hearings before deciding on a tax increase. In addition, a proposed budget is typically on display for public review at Town Hall.

We think East Laurinburg would have been wise to follow such a course. It is a bad sign when a government seeks more power while being less open.

That doesn't mean the tax is a bad idea. It should have been implemented years ago. If it had, the town might not be in such dire financial straits today. There are only a couple of ways a municipality can raise revenue. The recent decision by Waverly Mills to close its East Laurinburg plant is proof that increasing the industrial tax base may longer be one of those options.

That is why state officials have supported the town's plan to levy the tax as a way of staying solvent.

There are some townspeople who don't believe that and will remain opposed to the tax no matter how much discussion precedes it. They want East Laurinburg remain the same kind of community it has always been. But changing times and economies have made that impossible.

We think East Laurinburg's leaders and citizens need to take a hard look at what it means to be a municipality.

For the government to function properly, it needs the informed consent of its people. That can only come from the town board being upfront and open about its actions.

But something is required of citizens, too. Even the most mundane of city services comes with a cost that residents — for the most part — must shoulder.

As East Laurinburg navigates this next step in its growth, we hope the board and the people it represents do a little growing as well.