At the Everett City Council meeting on April 8, the mayor’s office announced that the City Council will be asked to approve a $675,000 budget amendment, to pay for a new scoreboard at the Xfinity Center. Ms. Bryant, the mayor’s chief of staff, explained that this would be paid for out of the city’s general budget, using money that was not spent out of the expense budget.
Just last year, we were told that the city was so poor that the citizens would need to pay higher taxes and fees. Then, a majority of councilmembers (Not Stonecipher, Roberts and Gipson) approved the highest tax increase in the city’s history, enacting new taxes on our utility bills that went into effect Jan. 1 and will increase again in 2016 and 2017. They also passed sweeping fee increases on everything from permits to business licenses and a $20 tab fee equaling roughly the same amount of money that will be collected this year as that scoreboard will cost!
The city can imitate Chicken Little, and cry, “The sky is falling” and claim there is no money, threatening to shut down the pool and sell part of a golf course but now they suddenly have saved enough money to pay for a scoreboard? Are you serious?
Wouldn’t you think that if a facility needed an updated piece of equipment they should finance it though the ticket sales? And for that matter why are they buying one? Can’t these be leased or sponsored?
I ask the Everett City Council to vote “no” on this irresponsible use of taxpayer money and urge citizens to join me in voicing your opposition!
Shelley Weyer
Everett
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