It is hard to get really excited about choosing to tax yourself, but I will vote to support Kent’s Proposition 1 for our roads and parks.
We’ve seen a rapid deterioration of our roadways as the continuous parade of cars, trucks and buses make their way through our city. And it won’t be long until the roads are further assaulted by another winter of studded tires and snow plows.
We’ve also got a system of parks that add to the quality of life for our city’s citizens. Our parks are very popular. They could really benefit from serious maintenance due to their continuous use, as well as the impact of Mother Nature.
In years past, the city was able to obtain funds for much of our road work through grants and allocations from the state gas tax. We also received funds for our parks from outside grants. Those revenue sources have changed and are not predicted to rebound. Estimates to repair the defined road and park projects exceed the regular amount allocated through our general funds.
In the meantime, there’s more wear and tear than repair. Either we can pay to get them fixed now in a prescribed fashion, or pay more to fix them later.
I commend the City Council for bringing these issues to our forefront for both discussion and vote. Given the makeup of our community, a combination of property and B&O taxes will spread the burden of preserving our assets. Ultimately, this will make our time on the road to work, home and play less taxing, and ensure that our park system remains a wonderful part of our community.
– Doug Scharnhorst
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