Editorial
Published 9:23 am Friday, February 22, 2008
Every year about now, a lot of people give a big sigh of relief. “Boy, I’m glad I don’t have to watch those political ads anymore,” is a common statement. “I’ll be glad when all the campaign signs are down” is another.
That’s understandable. The problem is, the real work is just beginning. November requires even greater vigilance on everyone’s part than the election season, not less. It’s when the decisions are made that most affect us at the local level. It’s when cities and counties decide how much they’re going to tax your property in the coming year, and what you’ll get for the money.
It’s when they decide how many police officers will patrol your city, how often your street gets repaved, whether you have sidewalks in front of your house and how many staff members will be available to process your business license or building permit.
It’s the budgeting process.
It is in these decisions that local governments set their priorities and in which their priorities are reflected. These are the decisions that either nobody knows about because they worked out well, or the decisions that later are criticized because they made somebody unhappy for some reason or another.
The current combination of the economic downturn and the effect of initiatives that have limited government’s ability to raise revenue makes budgeting perhaps more important now than it’s ever been. Regardless of the merits of these initiatives, they are forcing tough choices at the local level that are going to make some people unhappy.
City budget hearings tend to be sparsely attended. Then, when people get wind of a tax increase or a service that was cut, they complain.
In Edmonds, public hearings on the 2003 budget are scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19 and Nov. 26 in the City Council Chambers at the Public Safety Complex, 250 Fifth Ave. N. For more information call 425-771-2525. For Woodway, see page 5 of this edition of The Enterprise.
Speak now or, for at least another year, hold your peace.
