In response to Aaron Halabe's letter (Kent Reporter, Jan. 4), I believe a comment or two is called for.
I was very upset with the letter to the editor last week that claimed apartment dwellers need to pay their fair share. They are.
With a vote of 4-3, the Kent City Council members approved an anemic budget that fails to avoid a fiscal calamity down the road.
So, voters (property owners) rejected another hike in property taxes. Duh. And why shouldn't they? Why should property owners have to pay for everything in the city of Kent?
Using council members' clever quotations, the canary in the coal mine should not worry us because the glass it is carrying out of the disaster-prone area is half-full of water (or optimism).
The month of October was dedicated to domestic abuse awareness. It also was the month dedicated to the memory of those who have died and those that continue to endure this crime.
In response to the Nov. 16 letter by Sandra Gill, I do not believe that the city and the City Council properly tried to convince and justify to the people that the (property) tax (levy for streets and parks) for all was needed. That is why it failed.
Now that Proposition 1 has been defeated, the message the Kent City Council should get is that the streets-and-roads issue calls for a robust B&O (business and occupation) tax on the businesses in Kent that do the primary damage to the streets and roads.
We are supporting Proposition 1 to help repair and maintain our local parks and roads. While no one likes to be taxed, we agree this is the fairest way to pay for the upkeep of our local parks and streets.
Business is not doing its "fair share" by adopting the Kent Chamber of Commerce's pitiful B&O tax on valley businesses.
I echo the sentiments of Donald Villenueve's letter suggesting that a grade separation on 228th Street at the UPRR crossing is a poor choice of spending our limited road improvement funding dollars.
Charter School Initiative 1240 will create an expensive government bureaucracy in Olympia of unelected officials. It will cost million of dollars to run. This money is going to bureaucracies and corporations not into the classrooms where it is needed.
Proposition 1 is a reasonable, limited approach to a serious problem in our city. If voters approve, parks and streets will be repaired; if they oppose, there will be real impacts, including fewer fields to play on and streets with reduced lanes or speeds.
As a professional driver who has driven the South 228th Street corridor and Central Avenue South for years, the selection of the recommended Puget Sound Regional Council funded projects for Kent is puzzling.
I applaud Tim Higgins and Hilton for bringing to the ShoWare Center an impressive event such as Skate America. Such high-caliber performances bring much needed revenue to the city of Kent and surrounding areas.
I had the experiences of interacting with Steve Strachan on several issues when he was chief of police in Kent. The way he handled a few specific issues speaks to his character, personality, leadership style and his philosophy of law enforcement.
I've learned that the B&O tax provision that the City Council approved reads almost exactly like the terms that the Kent Chamber of Commerce dictated/recommended – despite objections by Albertson, Perry and Thomas.
The Panther Lake grade school, at 108th Avenue Southeast and Southeast 208th Street, has set empty for several years. This is poor property management.
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.
Regardless of who wins in this year's elections, I have some suggestions for 2016.
