Tax relief not lights.

Yeah; this person should be applauded for asking all of the right questions. This person got it right when she said that we want tax relief, and we don’t want to pay for some silly lights. When will the Grand Forks City Council get it that we don’t need this silly fluffy project? Give us some of our money back. I am sick and tired of the Grand Forks City Council spending our money like a bunch of druken sailors.

In the mail: Tax relief, not Christmas lights

GRAND FORK — When will the City Council realize that it is not a myth that many of Grand Forks’ citizens would prefer lower property taxes (thanks, Terry and Mike) to short-term, high cost, fluff-type projects?

Spending this huge amount of money on Christmas lights, which also requires labor (possibly overtime) and extra electricity (I thought the mayor was supposed to be promoting a Green City .?.?. even using LEDs, the lights will still look like energy hogs) this only reinforces the City Council’s current image of “spending like drunken sailors.” It just adds to the endless saga that includes the $30,000 buffalo sculpture gift to our ex-sister city in Japan, the amazingly creative ballooning of the mayor’s office, the $180,000-something 10-year flood party, etc.

It’s nice to think that the lights would bring in visitors, which in turn would increase sales taxes. But it is too much like a health club that neglects its longtime members while soliciting new memberships. All of a sudden, the long-timers are gone, and the manager can’t figure out why.

I have a win-win idea regarding the Christmas lights. Let private donations create the Christmas Lights Fund. Let’s challenge the City Council members and city administration who believe this is a necessary and brilliant idea to write out the first checks to get the funds going. Citizens who have money to spare can add to the fund. Then, the city will be prettier for these six weeks out of the year, maybe visitors will come to add to the sales tax revenue, and, hopefully, the rest of us can get property tax relief.

Bev Benda-Moe