Over the last month I have attended the budget hearing and the following city council meeting for the city of Gold Bar. I was very unhappy with the disorganization and lack of information that was given. The mayor did not even attend the budget hearing. When asked specific questions on the budget, the citizens were told that the officials did not have some of the totals available and would not know what they were until sometime in January. How can a budget be prepared and passed by a governing body without this information?
The council member who was acting for the mayor at the budget hearing even went as far as to tell one of the citizens that she did not want to hear anymore from her and that she could sit down and be quiet. I witnessed similar behavior by the mayor at another meeting when a citizen wanted the council to help represent his wishes with the Sultan school system. The council members need to keep in mind that these are public meetings and the citizens who attend do have the right to speak. Even if the council doesn’t agree with them, they should treat them with respect.
Numerous other citizens spoke and let the city council know they were not in agreement with the budget and that they did not want it to pass as it was written. The city council disregarded everyone who spoke and passed the budget. This budget will raise the taxes of the citizens of Gold Bar much more than the 1 percent authorized by the voters in this state. There is a belief among some of the citizens that it will be around 17 percent. When asked, the council members could not even tell the citizens what the percentage of tax increase would actually be. This is irresponsible behavior for elected officials who are supposed to be representing the people that voted them into office. There are 985 registered voters in Gold Bar. Only 485 voted in the last election. After attending the council meetings it is easy to see why voters in Gold Bar would get complacent. I encourage all of you to get involved and attend the city council meetings and make your city officials listen to the opinions of the people they are supposed to serve and be responsible for their actions while performing their duties.
Gold Bar
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