‘Dear Ron’ letters

Ron Davis (“There’s foul news on the city’s financial front,” April

26) correctly points out that the community has choices to make about how

it raises additional revenue to fund the needs of the city of Huntington

Beach.

We can impose fees for sewers and other services or we can generate

more sales tax by developing our commercial base. Ron is obviously

convinced that the latter is the way to go and the former, as he puts it

“stinks.”

I do not dispute that the city needs a better commercial base. One

look at the vacant spaces on Main Street -- even in the newly developed

commercial sites -- tells us that our commercial life is suffering. And

the years-long languishing of the Huntington Beach Mall -- or Crossings

at Huntington Beach project -- is a failure of will somewhere.

Nor do I dispute that people in cities (such as Huntington Beach) with

disproportionately low commercial business are giving some share of their

sales taxes to other cities, and subsidizing their revenue base, while

their own communities receive proportionately less.

But there is a choice.

It is at least possible that a community would rather pay higher fees

and even -- God forbid -- higher property taxes to pay for the amenity of

not living next to another strip mall. Larger commercial bases mean more

revenue, but they also mean more traffic and more city services (like

sewers) that, incidentally, require more city expenditures from that

increased revenue base. Larger commercial bases mean more congestion,

more crowds, less parking availability, more trucks, more noise, more

tacky commercial facades.

It is at least possible that a community would rather pay a premium

for more residences and a lower key of commerce. I do not necessarily

advocate this, but there is another side to this story.

A bit more complex than simply “generating revenue” versus “writing

checks to support government.” Like it or not, we all have to support

that evil government with all its police officers, school teachers, road

and sewer builders, firefighters and all the other dedicated people who

work to make our lives safer, healthier, more convenient and more

meaningful.

We can certainly decide that we are paying too much for this -- or

that we should pay more. But simply making snide comments that the city’s

method of generating revenue “stinks” is not a fair representation of

what the choices are.

BILL WALLACE

Huntington Beach