Letter: Facility districts and their leaders

Public facility districts create, fund and maintain facilities that are deemed beneficial for the city or county in which the facility is created.

The key is that these districts are created for the benefit of the residents of the location in which they exist.

Managed properly, PFDs can be beneficial to a community.

We need to remember that whatever facilities are created, the residents (taxpayers) of the affected community are ultimately financially responsible for the costs as long as the facility exists.

Even after a facility has been demolished, any bonds/loans that were put in place must be paid off.

So it is important that governing members of PFDs be taxpaying members of the affected community.

If “outsiders” are allowed to be board members, they have no financial liability for facilities they can sponsor or push through a PFD.

This brings me to the Kennewick PFD.

It is surprising to learn that the board chairwoman, while working in Kennewick, does not live in our city and therefore has no financial responsibility/liability for costs driven by the PFD and imposed on the citizens of Kennewick.

It is time to tell Barbara Johnson thanks for her time and goodbye.

This story was originally published January 16, 2018 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Letter: Facility districts and their leaders."