August 21st Council Meeting

There are three items from the August 21st Council Agenda I want to discuss.

The first item is the Liquor Store Project. I had voted to support the first phase of this project. This included getting construction plans, construction budget and how a plan to pay for the project. The initial information seemed to show the project would pay for itself and still continue to bring in ever increasing revenue to the general fund. The numbers I have reviewed do not support this conclusion.

The increase in sales that would occur would not pay the associated debt for the store in the first 4 years. This would have a significant impact on each years budget leading to higher property taxes or greater cuts in other city services.

The two funding options are a level 20 year payment schedule, akin to a fix rate mortgage, or a 20 year end loaded payment schedule, akin to a hybrid of a fix and an adjustable rate mortgage. I do not believe it is fair to saddle the next generation with balloon payments for what will be at the time an almost 20 year old building. This will setup the situation when major repairs are needed the city will be paying the highest payments.....

It would be easy to leave the debt payments for the next generation to worry about, but I cannot.....I do not believe it is responsible for us to get a short term gain at our children's expense.

The next item is a reform of the nuisance noise ordinance. I just wanted to keep you informed as ordinances are improved. Any questions please let me know.

The last item is a debate on the Community Center. The council will be discussing what changes/improvements are needed. The discussion will also look at the long term view of renovation and longevity of the facility. I welcome your comments.