Attached are the comments that I made at Council's Tax increase party last night.
Here are a few observations about last nights meeting.
Last night the Vancouver City council by a 5-2 vote, using a time worn threat of what will happen if they did not raise your taxes police and fire services will suffer. In the City Manager's spoken words, (Check the Tape) he said "if we don't raise taxes we are going to have to cut police and fire services by 4.2 million dollars.
Unfortunately I never got an answer to the question that I asked the council:
How the hell did police and fire services, which is one of government’s highest priorities, find it’s way to the bottom of your priority list.
And you have got to love the way the Council and the City Manager and Staff were ready to handle complaints and comments:
a. They were Ready for the onslaught of objections by Park Advocates who objected to the Transfer of REET 1 revenues to the Waterfront Boondoggle. It was apparent to the most casual observer that they had previously rehearsed their response. The way they plucked numbers and figures out of thin air to modify the REET Ordinance and throw a bone to the Park's crowd was almost magical.
b They were able to keep from the crowd gathered to speak out against the phony tax increases, information that will most of the revenues from the tax increase will be used for their waterfront boondoggle.
c. They kept the crowd and at home listeners in the dark about the fact that their are no signed agreements with any developers to build their vision.
d. They ignored the fact that the Boise Cascade property is a Flood Plain that will require at some future date a wall to keep the flood waters at bay.
e. They never let on that there are no written agreements with any potential developers to build anything on said flood plain and if the economy doesn't improve soon their won't be any development anytime soon.
f. They were quiet about the fact that the city is broke and will be going via our paid lobbyist, with hat in hand to beg for state and federal dollars, which if granted will also result in more tax increases at some future date.
The council refuses to recognize the fact that they are the Problem. it is their wasteful spending, lack of priorities, failed visions that have gotten us in this mess. We cannot be taxed into prosperity and Now is not the time to raise taxes.
And please don't believe the Council's nonsense about the jobs that will be created with the development of their waterfront vision. If they were really concerned about jobs they would not be fighting the development of the Indian Casino. They need more density downtown to justify the building of a new bridge with light rail. How can we trust what they say?
L. M. Patella
CDR USN (ret)