Letters: Jan. 18, 2018

Basic needs

After a good deal of study, the Colfax Schools have decided to put a bond proposition before the voters on the Feb. 13 ballot.

I have been looking at the information related to the bond and intend to vote "yes".

This bond is needed to take care of basic facilities needs like roofs, HVAC systems and asbestos removal.

The bond also invests money in much-needed renovations to all classrooms, the JES gymnasium, the auditorium and the high school gymnasium.

In reviewing the information, it is clear that a tremendous amount of work will be done with the bond funds.

Buildings and systems wear out over time, even when they are well maintained.

It is time to take care of these needs.

Please vote "yes" for the Colfax Schools in the upcoming election.

G.W. (Bud) Aune,

Colfax Next decade

There may be a bit of sticker shock to tax payers as they consider the two issues we are to approve. It is their next thoughts, however, that are more important. Voters have been in the past both considered and strategic, producing a salt of the earth reputation for our whole community. Considered and strategic thinking will ask: 1) What is the context? 2) Was the process thoughtful and weighed the cost? 3) Is it truly an investment?

The context has to take into account the uncertainty of educational funding. After court-imposed penalties the state adopted wholesale changes in the way schools are funded. Experts disagree on the impact to small schools, plus the new session will make changes. The levy amount simply maintains programs, keeps pace with technologies, and allows for new requirements despite the uncertain funding. We have a school board that has always rolled back levy collections when state funding became more positive. They are conscious of the tax burden as indicated by a low tax rate for levies and bonds combined compared to other area districts.

The context of the bond occurs with the legislature refusing to pass a capital budget due to a dispute over water. It comes at a time the district needed to move beyond a "fix what is broken" approach to facilities and look forward to what the next decade will ask of its programs and personnel. Each project in the proposal moves us into that decade with our investment in facilities better protected.

Finally, each time there has been a bond, a cautious, involved committee determined the project and the amount necessary. This committee not only continued that tradition, they raised the bar on the process and deliberations. The community was invited to inspect, hear proposals and offer solutions at several points. The committee represented a solid cross section of interests and taxpayers as they negotiated with architects on our behalf.

The simple reality is that schools are an investment a community makes in itself. Staff, programs, management and facilities are all a part of that investment. There has not been a time when we could support them with any more confidence than today. Please make the effort to vote yes on both the levy and bond.

Don Cox,

Colfax

Let us know

Travis Brock expects his taxes to go down $2,000 next year. Please let us know a year from now how that has worked out. Of course, any savings will be taken away when the tax reductions expire in 2025, and he and his children will be paying more to help offset the huge deficit being created.

If health care costs are through the roof it is because we have a for-profit healthcare system, the only one in the world. The goal of insurance companies is not patient care, but to increase the value of their stock and continue to pay outlandish salaries to their executives.

Bob Curry,

Endicott

Very fortunate

As a lifelong citizen of Whitman County, I have grown to greatly appreciate the very important role of the Whitman County Library in all of our lives. The library is the center of the community in every city which has a branch. The citizens of Whitman County are very fortunate to have a library system which provides not only books, but technology, computers and training, special events, learning opportunities, education, artists, writers, historians and dedicated leadership in our community.

The Whitman County Library District is requesting a very small levy increase to return the rate to the previous level which has decreased over the last few years. This small levy will have a substantial impact on the library.

Please join me to support the library by voting yes on the levy on February 13!

Trudy Libey,

Colfax