To the Editor:
I support the "no" vote from council members Randy Doescher and Steve Rice with regard to not raising water/sewer rates. The Daily Republic has it right, too.
This increase may not seem like much, but it will be a greater burden and hardship for many -- especially for those seniors on a fixed income struggling to make ends meet. Many seniors now choose between what is needed and what they can do without. For many, it's not always choosing between a want and a need, but choosing between a greater need and a lesser need.
Our city leaders could learn from our seniors on how to live with a budget and knowing the difference between a want and a need. Our problem with water and sewer lines should not have become an emergency. It was caused as a result of poor planning and budgeting. Too many wants without a focus on the needs.
Promoting a project is to argue that it will generate revenue for the city. A new pool will be an asset to the city and add quality of life, but is it a want or a need? It can be argued that it is a need, but that depends on which side of the fence you're standing on.
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Our council decided that a pool was a higher priority than a new City Hall. The Daily Republic got it right - finish what you started. To change priorities can be a mistake. To not change priorities for the right reason is also a mistake. Making another mistake to cover a mistake is bad business.
In my opinion, it is not a mistake to change priorities between a pool and the city's infrastructure. Our infrastructure is the core of our city's existence. Our city leaders decided to raise rates because they failed in their responsibilities under city ordinance. We can't always do everything we want to do right away. Our elected officials have a responsibility to represent the will of the majority, and not the will of a few.
Jerry Toomey
Mitchell
