This administration and council have demonstrated the worst of local politics — using the ballot box to attempt to “scare” the public about their personal safety and to “seduce” the public with parks and the environment.
The Supreme Court ruling upholding tax subsidies in federally funded states that are a lifeline to low-income people was a victory for our country. In the King v. Burwell decision, the Supreme Court recognizes that tax credits are one of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s key reforms and vital to the law as a whole.
There has been growing recognition of the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease but the funding to find a cure lags dramatically behind what’s necessary.
On July 11, not even the occasional sprinkle of rain could dampen the excitement of those gathered for the Derby Days Grand Parade — and I was happy to be among them! Talk about a good, old-fashioned campaign team: a large, excited crowd of people marching in support for Steve Fields’ campaign for mayor of Redmond (how often do you see that?).
I keep hoping that the manufactured debate about human causes of climate change is over. However, after reading Gerald Miller’s letter to the editor “The Marxist-Progressive Church of Climate Change” (July 10, Redmond Reporter), I am again reminded that it is not.
Vote “no” on both propositions.
I have been in Redmond 45 years and we are still waiting for the update of Westside Park.
As current and former presidents of the Redmond City Council (your elected officials who review and approve the budget), we feel it is important to set the record straight on Redmond’s finances, especially in the context of recent specious claims to this paper.
I am proud to be a Redmond resident. I have lived here for more than 20 years and I especially love and enjoy our parks.
I like councilman Hank Margeson. However, his appeal for increasing taxes in Redmond wasn’t easy for me to accept. Margeson recommended voting “yes” on tax hikes to support safety and parks. He referenced the Great Recession, and implied that Redmond wanted to “catch up.”
I am voting “yes” on propositions 1 and 2. Seems like a no-brainer to me. I have lived in Redmond since 1997, and it has been improving as a city at an impressive rate, making it a wonderful place to live and work.
In last week’s Redmond Reporter, a letter writer listed six recent Redmond capital improvement projects totaling roughly $36 million and indicated his concern that Redmond taxpayers were footing the bill for projects that only benefit developers and businesses. While the total costs of each of these projects were listed correctly, Redmond residential tax-payers actually only paid $6.1 million of the total $36 million cost of these investments in our city infrastructure.
As a longtime resident of Redmond, I have enjoyed living in a city where I feel safe and can enjoy the parks and trails year-round. This is why I am voting “yes” on props 1 and 2 to keep our community safe and our parks and trails maintained.
I voted “yes” on Redmond propositions 1 and 2 and hope my fellow Redmond citizens will do the same.
Passage of these two measures is essential to helping Redmond maintain its current character as a safe, livable city with wonderful parks and green space amid a period of rapid growth.
As a former mayor who cares greatly about public safety, parks and open space and our transportation options such as sidewalks for getting around Redmond, I never thought I’d have to take a position that could be construed as being against them. What I am against is unwarranted and irresponsible tax increases: Proposition 1 and Proposition 2. Basics like public safety and transportation maintenance should be funded first. Why aren’t our substantial, increasing tax resources sufficient to cover such priorities? Because our current city leaders have been spending in the wrong ways, the wrong places.
I think it is important to send a message to the Redmond City Council that we need to consider existing residents and safety before engaging in large-scale spending associated with new development.
I would like to take this opportunity to correct a misrepresentation about King County property taxes. In a recent letter to the editor, a correspondent stated “keep in mind property values have increased significantly in the last year so local governments have revenue cushions.”
Vote “no” on Redmond propositions 1 and 2. Asking the already over-taxed residents to support a property tax increase to enhance public safety is a violation of public trust and decency.
Until Tuesday, Aug. 4 at 8 p.m., you have the opportunity to vote on two Redmond levies that support maintenance and enhancements to parks, public safety and the infrastructure that makes our city function on a daily basis.
I am the mother of three boys and love raising my children in Redmond. We spend long afternoons in our favorite parks and many hours on the trails and sports fields. I care about living in a walkable neighborhood as well as the parks and trails staying safe and beautiful which is why I am voting “yes” to propositions 1 and 2 on the upcoming levy.
Have you looked at your property tax bill lately? The city has put forward Prop 1 (safety) and Prop 2 (parks), which will add a total of $174.50/year or $14.50/month to the median homeowner’s tax bill.