SOUNDING OFF:

In November, we will go to the ballot box to decide if we want a Senior/Community Center in Central Park. This is really a minor part of getting a new Senior Center. The vote by the City Council was 5-2 to put a Measure C vote on the ballot. The whole process and ballot wording was done to, in many cases, mislead voters. This council was so adamant about putting it on the ballot without any financial disclosure on how it would be paid for, that you can bet when it comes up for a vote to go ahead with the Center, the votes will be there.

There are some things the public should think about before voting.

Most of us voted for a $1.9-million Sports Complex. We ended up with a $19-million plus Sports Complex, which is not even finished. We will still be paying for this for years and maybe so will our children, who can’t even use the “Save Our Youth” Sports Complex. These are the same individuals pushing “Save Our Seniors.”

Do we want to put all the money — $19 million (anticipated, but not on paper) — received from the Pacific City project that goes into the Parks Fund into one project? There are many parks in this city in need, and we are going to use all the money for one project that will only be used by a select segment of our population?

Why won’t the council or the Community Services Department tell us where the money will come from if the construction goes over the $19 million? We already went down this road with the Sports Complex. When making up revenue projections for the Sports Complex, Community Services Director Ron Hagen anticipated the fields being used from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. They are being used from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Councilman [Keith] Bohr said no new taxes, but the city attorney commented that no new taxes could be used at what date? Before the election, after the election, no one knows. Councilwoman [Cathy] Green said she did not want “other revenue sources” in the ballot wording. Doesn’t this mean if it goes over budget we can go into the general fund, float another bond?

From watching this council, I think if this ballot measure passes, the members will vote for the Senior/Community Center no matter what the cost or how it will be paid for — even if it goes over budget.

The Save our Seniors group says that if you don’t vote yes for this Measure C vote, you don’t like seniors. It is rather insulting to tell me and others what we think. Before I give this or any other council the authority to make a decision on a Senior Center, I want all the facts and especially the financial ones, which are not being given to us, before I get stuck with another “boondoggle” like we have in the Sports Complex.

I will vote no in November — not for the location, but because the city is not being forthright with the taxpayers who will eventually pay the bill if this is a financial disaster like the Sports Complex. Read the ballot arguments For (they don’t tell you anything) and Against, which asks questions the city will not answer.

Note: Without the Wal-Mart sales tax revenue subsidy going to the Sports Complex in 2004-05, it operated at a $105,680 loss.