To the editor:

Let me see if I understand the following. Add another 1 percent to our already high sales tax for a new library we don’t need. Additional taxes to build and support an ice rink for what, so 50 kids have a place to play hockey? The highest housing prices in the state while working people in Lawrence have relatively low per-capita income compared with other cities our size.

A mindset whereby in order to attract businesses to Lawrence, we offer up to a 50 percent tax abatement over 10 years, at which time companies such as Davol simply leave town. Building new roads and infrastructure in developing areas of town while older parts of town crumble. Building roundabouts at a quarter million dollars a pop while we could do the same thing with some stop signs costing a few hundred. Closing perfectly good fire stations and building new ones a mile away complete with fine art on the lawn created by out-of-town artists.

I guess I don’t understand.

Clay Kappelman,

Lawrence