To the editor:

Lately, it has been discouraging to hear the comments and conversations of our city commissioners and be the recipient of their actions. First, we are not generating enough revenue, so they raise our fees and rates to compensate for shortfalls. They did not raise our property taxes, but in my neighborhood, assessments went up from 6 to 10 percent.

Recently, they complained that they were not getting enough revenue from the gas taxes. Now, in spite of a sales tax increase passed to fund parks and recreation, they feel we need to raise fees on new development and on mortgage transfers to add revenue for parks and street repair.

Where is the city’s fiscal responsibility? Can’t it live within its means? Our incomes are not keeping pace with the city’s appetite for new things (parks, libraries, sports complexes, etc.). It must be following the example of Kansas University: Build new, but fail to maintain what you have. Ask for more money later.

Tax and spend are the order of the day downtown and we are left trying to figure out how to afford to live here. While our streets continue to deteriorate and our emergency equipment waits to be replaced, the city eyes new amenities. It’s past time that they looked to care for what we have and waited before taking on something new.

Ken Meyer,

Lawrence