Letter to the Editor: Vote Yes on Shoreline Proposition 1
Monday, October 4, 2010
To the Editor:
I urge my friends and neighbors to vote yes on Shoreline Proposition 1. Here are some of the things that make Shoreline special to my family:
Through Shoreline Parks and Recreation we have discovered wonderful classes and camps of all sorts at the Spartan Gym. At the pool we have enjoyed swim lessons, swim team, open swims, special events for kids and birthday parties. We have volunteered with the Specialized Recreation program. The city runs a FREE after-school program at Einstein Middle school. The low costs of the city's recreation programs and the scholarships available place these opportunities within everyone's reach. We love the city's beautiful parks and biking or walking on the interurban trail.
We've gone to countless FREE summer concerts in the park, and attended and volunteered at the Shoreline Arts Festival. My daughters have told me that “August Arts Camp” run by the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council is their favorite ever!
I joined my neighborhood association, meeting neighbors and helping organize community events. Through the association, I discovered the “Ready Neighborhood” program, and helped organize my street to prepare for an emergency.
All of these experiences have allowed my family and I to get to know our neighbors and our community and take pride in where we live.
Imagine if none of these things existed.
I urge all of you to visit the city's website and SupportShoreline.org, to see how carefully the city has been spending our money. They have made this city a wonderful place to live and deserve our trust and support.
Lorraine M. Flaherty
Shoreline
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6 comments:
I have lived in Shoreline all of my life. I have participated in numberous events, groups and associations. I have found that we need to prioritize our tax dollars. It is the past decisions that the City entity itself has created these problems, but it is continuing to happen. This is the first year that we are actually looking at health care since 2003, and that is schedule after the election(Nov. 8th). Will it stay on the agenda if Prop 1 passes? Look at the past decisions and think if you believe it will change?
I will give 2 examples:
The first, where was the citizen input to subsidize the YMCA? If we knew about shortfalls since 2003, why were those funds not delegated to the Spartan Gym or the pool(our long term investments). We lost $80,000 dollars, that could have funded countless Spartan Gym Programs, Senior Center or the Pool. What if that would have been spent on other events or services?
Quoted from the July 19th Council Meeting Follow Up Questions found at:
http://www.cityofshoreline.com/index.aspx?page=70
Question 3:
"In 2008 the City agreed to a contract with the YMCA to provide some community-wide programs at $40,000 annually for two years. This was to be one-time funding and programming – not ongoing." Response from City of Shoreline
The second, a gym membership is offered to all full time employee's at a corporate rate at 24-Hour Fitness. Why are we not offering Gym memberships to the Spartan Gym for those employees, instead of paying for a corporate rate? Why not support our Gym with that money? We have a great gym to invest our money into, why is the City not doing that?
This tax is not considered an excess tax. Seniors, Veterans and the low income residents will have to accomidate the increase or move.
Trust is Earned, Not Given
Prioritize The Budget to Save Shoreline Services! Vote No on Prop 1, then petition The City Council to stand up for our services.
The City has transferred an average of $1 million a year from the general fund to the capital fund, this money was supposed to go to services; but the staff convinced the City Council they had to keep on building parks, Aurora, and a new City Hall.
The staff said that the City would save money with the new City Hall, but they already took at least $25,000 out of the roads maintenance budget (which is meant to fix potholes) to service the debt on the City Hall - so they are already CUTTING SERVICES to pay for that ugly monstrosity that serves the staff more than the public.
Vote no on prop 1 - the staff has been wasting our taxes to their benefit. They get to work in a new office building and we don't get our roads fixed so they can enjoy their new workspace.
I think it's wonderful that the letter writer has enjoyed so many benefits from living in Shoreline.
But what exactly makes her think these things should be offered by the City? (And apparently free of charge....)
The City does not belong in the art business or the swimming business. They shouldn't be hosting birthday parties. They should be providing the basic services that benefit each of us equally. You know, stuff like roads, law enforcement, education.
Even if I didn't drive, I would still benefit from the roads - they bring in goods and services to my neighborhood.
Even if I am never the victim of a crime, I still benefit from the Police Department. Acting as a deterrent, they reduce the likelihood that I will be victimized.
Even if I do not have any children, I benefit from the promise of a quality, free, public education. Those educated kids will eventually be working in our economy.
But I get absolutely no benefit from knowing that "Julie had a great time at her birthday party" or "Suzy sure loves the City sponsored art camp." And I'm not sure how any other citizen (other than Julie and Suzy) benefits.
SO WHY THE HELL ARE WE PAYING FOR THIS?
I'll be voting no on PROP 1.
Re: David in Shoreline-- It seems rather shortsighted of you to expect the city to provide only those services that you yourself enjoy, directly or vicariously. Creating a community that serves families well means enjoying the benefits of a vibrant, stable population. The original poster did not say that the camps and the birthday parties were free, and they are not. But the cost is affordable and that makes such activities available to even the low-income residents of Shoreline. They are available to your family too.
Jodi,
Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, I think you misunderstood me.
I do not expect the City to provide only services that I enjoy. If that were the case there would be Coca-Cola in the drinking fountains at City Hall.
I expect the City to provide services that benefit each of us EQUALLY. (Because we are both EQUAL citizens with EQUAL rights and EQUAL responsibilities.)
I do not gain anything from City sponsored birthday parties, yet I am forced to help pay for them by a City Council who thinks they know how to spend my money better than I do.
I do agree with you that we are well served by a stable, vibrant community. But how much stability does one really have when their property taxes keep climbing and climbing?
I appreciate that you pointed out how City facilities are available for my family use as well. And I thank you for your consideration, but I will decline using them. Why would I utilize services that I am railing against? I am many things, but I do not wish to add hypocrite to that list.
Sincerely,
David,
Just to be clear, are you complaining that the city operates a pool, or is the pool ok but birthday parties at the pool are not? The benefits of a community pool (for everyone, equally) seem clear to me. Allowing families to rent (read that: pay for) the facility for parties at times the pool is not open to the public seems cost-effective as well as a boon to families.
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