Letter: Officials should have considered other funding sources for Link project

I’m disappointed that the Kennewick Public Facilities District didn’t consider other sources of funding for the Link, other than to require everyone who shops in Kennewick to pay for it. I consider their position that “it’s only two pennies on a 10 dollar purchase” to be both misleading and condescending.

It’s funny how those little pennies add up. Let’s say you’re shopping for a relatively modest used Ford F150 pickup for $25,000. Buy it in Kennewick and you will have spent an extra $50 due to the Link tax. Not everyone will pay a great deal — some will pay more than others. But even the neediest Kennewick family will end up paying something.

Now, I’m not against taxes. Schools? You bet. Police and fire protection? Absolutely. But the Link tax? No way. The coliseum has been obsolete for years, the convention center expansion tax was soundly defeated three years ago, and the Link theater is only a stop-gap measure.

What’s missing is a grass-roots fundraising drive to construct a permanent performing arts center, paid for only by those who can most afford it, only by those who will most benefit from it, and only by those who will most use it.

This story was originally published July 22, 2016 at 1:54 AM with the headline "Letter: Officials should have considered other funding sources for Link project."