Al Campbell has a good point in his column Feb. 17. Why are taxes so high and go up year after year? In one word, all towns in Cape May County have to consider consolidation of police, fire, EMS and municipal workers. Also, towns have to look at shared services between towns. Only when we consolidate, share services, and operate on economies of scale will taxes be reduced. Impossible? Not really, if you pass laws now with a guarantee of no layoffs, current employees would not be replaced as they retire. Maybe with a reformed property base and lower taxes, residents would stop leaving.