Library project puts cart before the horse

The library cart before the horse.

Where to start? “…to convince taxpayers … the new educational complex is worth the $8 million bill.”

Property owners are the taxpayers we are discussing, that 47 percent of the county population legally ordered to fund law enforcement, public education, road and bridge, fire departments, ambulance services, water, solid waste, local government, subsidize hefty chunks of the Restorium and Boundary General Hospital, and pay for the library.

This is another disproportionate burden on property owners and the elderly, especially those on fixed incomes, whom currently own 2,006 of the county home units. In an area whose economy is at best stagnant, with low incomes and unemployment running 8.8 percent, do you really want to take $8 million from the private economy and shift it to the public sector?

The library director desires “…to connect our youth with tomorrow’s economy and promote the growth of an adequately skilled workforce.” Isn’t that public education’s role? Redundancy of effort and expense seem ill-advised in this new business era of economic uncertainty and fragility where increased taxes threaten everyone. Oh, and the stated $8 million cost actually comes out to $14,377,716 over 30 years at 4.374 percent interest from a Rural Development Loan.

Typically these types of projects occur after tax revenues have increased substantially and sustainably. The cart is correctly placed after the horse. This library project places massive spending before substantial and sustainable economic growth. That’s placing the cart before the horse. Now try driving it.

Sid Brumbach

Boundary County