Mountlake Terrace: Plan for City Hall is irresponsible

Just when I thought nobody was paying attention to what local government was up to, I had the pleasure of reading Tim Austin’s July 28 letter regarding the Mill Creek emergency medical services levy, “Firefighters want increase, not public.” While most people are sticking their heads in the sand and trusting our elected officials to objectively oversee the proper spending of our tax dollars, someone is actually digging through the layers of drivel spun for public consumption and laying out the root of the issue. I commend you, Tim. Thanks.

The very same subterfuge is happening in Mountlake Terrace, and I fear the public has no idea what is about to happen. The city is about to ask the voters to approve a property tax levy to build a City Hall that we can’t afford and shouldn’t need. A modest building will serve the needs of the public and demonstrate the fiscal responsibility demanded in these times of economic distress. Their grandiose plans are designed for none other than themselves.

The justifications and tax information printed in the “City Happenings” and other local printings are filtered through rose-colored glasses. Statistics can be manipulated to substantiate any point of view and the spin doctors down at City Hall have been hard at work. Even the voters pamphlet will suffer at the hands of those directed to help us cast an informed vote. The window for applying for the chance to have input was conveniently small and public notice was suspiciously scant. Only the sharpest of eyes caught it in the nick of time. The city is using public money and resources to promote the passage of this funding package and using it to build a complex that shouldn’t cost nearly what they are going to spend on it. Their eye is on the prize, not the budget they were elected to manage. That’s how they work !

Jack S. Allen

Mountlake Terrace