By Georgina Armstrong / For The Herald
For good reason, the financial crisis that has hit the City of Edmonds has been widely and publicly debated. No one wants to see our city make drastic staff cuts or reduce much revered community services.
We know that a course correction is required if we are to prevent even more harm from occurring and, as the council has informed us in Resolution 1570, a no vote on the $14.5 million levy lid lift (Proposition 1) will result in even deeper cuts being necessitated. It is not hard to recognize, therefore, that such actions will have an adverse affect on our environment.
We’re sure that the risk is not only of concern to us, but also to those of you who value our parks, open spaces, urban forests, creeks and streams, beaches, waterfront and the Edmonds Marsh. The level of maintenance these areas require is no doubt obvious to any resident who has enjoyed spending recreational time in these beautiful areas.
Should Proposition 1 fail, the Parks Department, which oversees the maintenance of all our city’s natural resources, will see its budget reduced by $1,870,000; however, should it pass, then Parks will receive 22 percent of available levy funds, which equates to $3.2 million, and will include support of environmental stewardship.
The question is, will there be time to ensure that no regrettable harm comes to our fragile ecosystem if we fail to provide the needed resources — staff and funding — to continue the environmental stewardship upon which it depends? To curtail future maintenance and environmental projects will not come without risk.
As key environmental organizations in Edmonds and the region, we urge you to vote Yes on Proposition 1.
Georgina Armstrong is president of the Edmonds Climate Advisory Board. She is joined in this opinion by Advocates for Justice, Environment EUMC, Edmonds Climate Advisory Board, Edmonds Marsh Estuary Advocates Leadership Team, Friends of Edmonds Trees, Interfaith Climate Action, and Sierra Club Sno-Isle Executive Committee.
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