At a time when sensitivity to all tax-related issues is at an all-time high, it would be easy for important and worthy measures to be drowned out in the polarized, black-or-white rhetoric.
One such worthy measure is the Fire District 16 bond request that appears on the Aug. 21 primary ballot.
The sale of up to $27 million in general obligation bonds would allow the district, serving Lake Forest Park and Kenmore, to build a new headquarters station at the northwest corner of 73rd Avenue Northeast and Northeast 181st Street. The new bonds would also pay off 2006 voter-approved bonds that purchased the land for the new station.
Fire officials have been looking at the situation since 2004, when an assessment of the district’s current facilities identified major problems and deficiencies. The district commissioners concluded that to meet the projected needs of district residents, a new headquarters station was needed.
Estimates show property owners in the district would pay about $100 a year if the bond passes. If it does pass, design work on the new station would start immediately and the new station would open in early 2010.
Voters rightfully demand accountability and visibility from their public officials and tax dollars. Public safety bonds, such as the District 16 proposal, are good examples of such measures.
Public safety is a key service and the money from this bond will go directly to making district taxpayers safer.
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