The defeat of the 2A tax issue in November was not a NO vote for police, streets and infrastructure but a “no confidence” vote on the way the city is run.
I attended the “Wicked Problem” meetings held by the city and I consider myself an informed citizen. I was not surprised by the vote.
The lack of foresight and planning is a major factor. The 2015 Parks and Rec sales tax should not have been brought to a vote four years before it was set to expire.
Other departments have been going begging for a long time. That tax should have been allocated among Parks and Rec as well as the non-sexy streets and infrastructure and then put up for a vote. Why not put that up for re-allocation now?
It could be that people are seeing the cost and cost overruns of Parks and Rec projects. For example, the soccer fields at Fort Lewis College and the Whitewater Park both had to be re-worked after “completion,” totaling an additional $1.5 million in tax dollars.
The Parks and Rec advisory board just voted for a new, $4.5 million parking lot at Santa Rita Park.
All this is paid from sales taxes that are now desperately needed for other city departments
It should be pointed out that another increase in sewer and water fees looms in 2019.
Quit draining the same sources for revenue and instead look to areas that have, for some reason, been sacrosanct. Overall, we need long range planning, forethought and fairness – not higher taxes.
Alma Evans
Durango
