On Feb. 14, according to (proposed) ordinance 6036, the City wants to take $250,000 from the sales tax we pay in Auburn in 2017.

Though not yet approved, the copy I read mentions bonds for “revitalization.” No mention of what was, or will be “revitalized.”

The above mentioned word brings to my mind the redevelopment of downtown Auburn that has closed numerous businesses in Auburn beginning about 2005.

The cost to taxpayers: millions of dollars.

We are paying for six new cops with an additional tax on cable bills. We will have to pay King County to plan for improvements to our transportation system, and voters approved a school tax that will only make it harder for people to remain homeowners, yet our children spend less time in a classroom now than at any time in recent history.

That our City Council is even considering spending $7,000 a year per member for travel on top of what it costs just to keep their offices up and running tells me that our elected officials in Auburn are getting more out of the taxpayers than they are worth.

– Virginia Haugen