I am having a hard time understanding why the City of Auburn would want to farm out our local justice system.

In the last few years, I have seen the mayor and City Council allocate huge amounts of money on projects that only cost more money. The dinner theater, the golf course, the new city annex building, the promenade, etc.

Now they’re considering eliminating our local judge and court system, which seems to me is working quite well.

And if, according to the article in last week’s Auburn Reporter, King County will only be incarcerating one-half or less of the criminals that Auburn now does, then why not cut our police force in half also?

One has to wonder why we should continue to arrest, incarcerate and treat people, if in the future we’re only going to properly deal with half of what we do now. Somewhere along the way, our city leaders have lost track of what is important and necessary to the citizens of Auburn. I did not ask for a promenade, new street lights to replace the streetlights we just replaced not that long ago, a dinner theater that will most likely never see a penny of profit. But I am asking that my city leaders start doing the job we elected them to do, namely, provide the necessary services and protection that we deserve.

I am tired of hearing how broke the City is and then watch more money being spent on projects that are neither timely nor appropriate in today’s financial climate.

Every city is struggling financially. Most people I know are struggling financially. But we don’t cancel our insurance and then go buy a new car.

Really, as a citizen of Auburn, it is becoming more and more frustrating to sit and watch our elected officials continue to spend money we don’t have, to build things we didn’t ask for, and then say they have no choice but to eliminate the things we so dearly need.

I try and reassure my family that City Hall is not full of idiots, but the current administration seems determined to prove me wrong.

– Mark Silberling