To the editor:

This 50 square feet of sidewalk is emblematic of an unmentioned cause of the city’s current budget problem that is blamed, publicly, solely on a revenue shortfall, the only remedy for which, we’re told, is either to raise taxes or cut services.

About six months ago, city crews broke out and replaced two sections of (slightly buckled) sidewalk at the northeast corner of Water Tower Park. Today the city has marked them for replacement (re-replacement) as part of a project to entirely replace curbs and sidewalks (not nearly as bad as others in town!) on the west side of Sunset Drive from Harvard Road to Stratford Road. A little forethought and judgment would have avoided that waste of time, money, material and energy.

Yes, raising taxes and/or cutting services are possible solutions to our budget crisis (and goodness knows there are services aplenty we could do without; Eagle Bend comes quickly to mind) but they’re not the only options. The waste that accompanies poor planning, anemic productivity and a general prodigality is a root cause of the budget problem; eliminating it should head the list of solutions.

Practicing frugality and living within one’s means (Journal-World editorial, June 26) are old-fashioned notions, but some of us still know how to do it (although it gets more difficult as taxes increase) and I heartily recommend it.

To become a truly sustainable community we must do more than buy green tags.

Bill Mitchell,

Lawrence