As a 50-year resident and former Redmond City Council member (1975-87), I enjoy scrutinizing candidate statements in the Voters Guide.

For council position 2, Mr. Steve Fields makes the erroneous claim that “Redmond residents subsidize growth while developers get tax and environmental exemptions.”

As someone who professes expertise in government finance, Mr. Fields knows better.

Developers do NOT get tax and environmental exemptions at the expense of Redmond residents. In fact, developers pay significant fees to compensate for the additional

burden their projects place on our transportation, fire, park and school facilities. Interestingly, new development in our urban centers is actually shifting the property tax burden from single-family homeowners to the higher value multifamily and commercial parcels, as these properties represent a greater and growing share of the land value in Redmond.

If anything, Redmond’s urban development is reducing the tax burden on residents in our single-family neighborhoods.

Don’t be fooled by Mr. Fields. The truth is “development pays for development” in Redmond.

Roger Trepanier

Redmond