Letter: No on Link: Don’t spend emergency funds on ‘vacation’
The Tri-City Herald says Kennewick taxpayers should pay an added 0.2 percent sales tax, making it 8.8 percent, because a larger convention center with a 2,300-seat theater “linked” to the Toyota Center and a third ice rink will improve the quality of life in our city.
The Herald observes that taxes pay for other nonessential things like parks, the senior center and the library, so why not this too?
That is a good question. But higher priorities such as police, fire, streets and water systems are essential.
Paying for nice things to enhance the quality of life is much farther down the priority list, especially when we have a growing city that desperately needs money to meet the basic needs of those high priorities.
Spending limited tax resources on an ice rink and theater is like spending the family’s emergency fund on a vacation instead of paying for a new roof or medical bills.
Put your tax dollars to better use. Vote NO on Proposition 17-4 on the Nov. 7 general election ballot.
Jerry Martin, Kennewick
This story was originally published September 18, 2017 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Letter: No on Link: Don’t spend emergency funds on ‘vacation’."