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Residents urge council to spend on wildfire, seniors and infrastructure rather than policing increase
Summary
During a public hearing on a proposed property tax increase, several in-person and written commenters asked the council to prioritize wildfire mitigation, the senior center and water/sewer upgrades instead of raising funds for policing contracts.
At the Aug. 4 truth-in-taxation hearing, multiple residents and written commenters urged the Washington Terrace City Council to consider other priorities before approving a property-tax increase targeted to law-enforcement contract costs.
Kathleen Crainer, who spoke in person, said participation in public hearings felt "pointless" to some residents and asked why the council would spend roughly $30,000 on surveillance cameras instead of directing funds to more pressing needs. "My question to you would be, if you knew you needed the 98, however many thousand for the sheriff ... why would you vote to spend 30,000 on the flock cameras that we didn't need and we maybe could have put off?" she said.
Amy read two written submissions into the record from Trina Held and Catherine Held opposing the proposed increase. One reader passage said the city "currently experiences only about 10 crimes per year" requiring substantial police effort and urged officials to "please be responsible stewards of our city funds and choose to finance public services that are currently lagging," suggesting senior services, school lunches and wildfire preparedness as alternative uses.
Jerry Kennedy, another in-person commenter, said he did not support the increase and recommended focusing on fire-department needs and modernization of water and sewer systems rather than augmenting policing funding.
