I am perplexed and disappointed by the city’s response to failed levies.

In a Redmond Reporter article in August, city administration publicly declared a victory that this failure was a vote of confidence from the citizens of Redmond AND the levies weren’t really needed. City council unanimously voted to put the levies on the Aug. 4 ballot.

Instead I suggest the reason may be the citizens of Redmond think City Council has forgotten that there were residents living here before 2007. Residents that built this town, joined the PTSA, coached the sports teams, umped the baseball games and worked in the schools.

We see millions spent on projects within 200 yards of Cleveland Street or 116th. Meanwhile, maintenance or improvements on existing items seems to require a special tax or levy. The City of Redmond collects a large sum of money from new development (termed impact fees) that is required by law to be used to mitigate the impact of new development on existing residents. An expected use of that would be to: widen the Sammamish River Trail, enlarge parking lots (Idylwood) and widen streets. Basically ensuring existing residents living experience is not degraded. However, I noticed according to the City of Redmond budget, impact fee funds have been allocated to finance turning Redmond Way from a one-way to a two-way. That doesn’t seem right.

Folks who live on Education Hill have no way to cycle or walk directly to the Sammamish River Trail, but the city approved millions to build a wonderful trail to connect the new apartments on Cleveland Street to Marymoor and the Sammamish River Trail.While there are broken and missing sidewalks around town, the city approved millions to fix up one-third of a mile on Cleveland Street.

The Sammamish River Trail is dangerously crowded and remains unimproved, except interestingly, the area beginning at 95th (big new apartment complex) and ending where the new development ends. Turn the corner past the park and the trail narrows and is full of bumps and tree roots.

There is also millions for a stormwater treatment plant, related to all the new development downtown. Normally new owners are taxed for this. I was presented with a bill for stormwater when I built a home on Education Hill in 1994.

To see what any administration believes is important you, just examine where they spend our money. This administration appears to focus on building downtown and business. Now I think they did a good job, it looks nice. But they have gone a bit too far and seem to have forgotten about ensuring that the existing hardworking residents are looked after. This administration seems to have forgotten who built this town.

Brent Schmaltz

Redmond