Where I stand / 03
Taxes & City Services
Taxes and fees land on real households. City spending deserves careful questions, clear answers, and a connection to the services people rely on.
Infrastructure and essential services
Water, sewer, streets and public safety—period. We face millions in wastewater-pond work while utility lines remain insufficiently documented, yet trails and pickleball courts advance.
Amenities matter, but grants are not free; they bring match requirements, labor and upkeep costs. We may not have the designated courts or big trails, but we should have reliable infrastructure beneath our feet.
The purchase price is only the beginning.
When a vehicle, project, or contract comes forward, the number on the first page is not the full cost. New logos or lettering, required modifications and equipment, insurance, financing, fuel, maintenance, training, and future replacement can all change what taxpayers will actually pay. If the purchase replaces something the city already owns, the estimated sale value of the old vehicle or equipment should also be included because it offsets part of the price.
I want the complete cost, the alternatives, and the reason the purchase is needed before I vote. The same applies to outside consultants and planning reviews: respect for staff’s work and careful oversight of public spending belong together.
Look at who benefits—and who pays.
Decisions about development and neighborhoods affect the people already living there. Their concerns belong in the discussion, not as an afterthought.
Relevant relationships and interests should be clear, and every proposal should be judged by the same standards: who benefits, who bears the cost, and whether it serves the community as a whole.
Committee work needs room to work.
Committee assignments are where much of the research, questioning, and detailed discussion should happen. Treating that work as a punishment—or forcing every meeting into an arbitrary hard stop—undercuts the reason committees exist.
People’s time should be respected, but communication cannot be squeezed into a predetermined box when important questions remain. Good decisions require enough room to understand the issue, hear different perspectives, and work through the consequences. Public service means doing that work, not rushing it to fit the clock.
Limits of one council vote
I will not promise a tax cut, a particular water fix, or a project outcome because I do not control the council’s final decision. A councilor is one vote on a five-member body.
What I can commit to is doing the homework, reading the material, questioning the numbers, listening to residents and staff, explaining where I stand, and casting my vote based on the best information available.