It's our money
Dear Editor,
This municipal building/West Ward thing is really sticking in my craw.
I don't like city government's treatment of us peasant taxpayers. They proceed with a $6,000,000 project without asking us ... they say if we want to save West Ward, we should do it with our money. I hate to spring this on them but every dime the city has or will have is our money!
Even before they told us what they were up to, they began to rat-hole sales tax money (already $1,000,000.) for a project that may not fly.
I feel they can incorporate West Ward, save money and have a building with some character vs. the boring architecture of recent government buildings. Most of us can picture the old Post Office on Norris in our mind's eye. Can you picture the current Post Office in your mind? Yawn ...
Mayor Berry's letter to this column on Jan. 26 requires I ask the actual dollar amount of retail sales, month by month for the past two years. Not sales tax collections because we voted in an increase, but retail sales volume ... I believe it will show a downward trend.
The major source of municipal moola is sales tax. The mayor says those dollars are down. Realizing this, city government should be spending major money to entice new retail business, make McCook a fun place to shop, etc.
The time has come to feed the cash cow.
Short of spending 70 percent of our sales tax dollars for seven years to fund this proposed municipal Taj Ma City Hall, they talk about increasing property taxes.
I would remind the mayor that every dollar paid in sales or property taxes is a dollar that can't be spent with local merchants.
Other than spending to improve retail, the only other solution I can think of is to annex the north bound lane of Highway 83 for 30 miles, set the speed limit at 20 mph, and install a stop light every mile.
'nuff said,
Bill Frasier,
McCook