Thanks Robert Gray for the dissenting vote on the stormwater surcharge. Your comments on the cumulative collection of surcharges and collective costs of utility rates are shared by this reader.

It is irritating to hear that city has a greater right to meet its expenses than the cost to its constituents whose wages that have not increased proportionally. This could have been mitigated by passing legislation to use the windfall of property taxes that will be collected due to the annexation of EJFR in 2021, 2022 and full rate in 2023.

We’re drowning in costs for past poor decisions. The city did not build its waste water treatment plant when federal grants paid 80% of the costs and instead sued for exclusion resulting in paying the full price. Then the city picked the $29 million water treatment plant option instead of the $14 million one.

The city gifted $500,000 to the PDA and paid the Maritime center a million for beach rights. Have these returned enough money to reduce city costs to its constituents?

Remember every million in cost results in $100 per man, woman and child living in Port Townsend. The choice for lower rates is to curtail the quantity of services offered
or choose less expensive options for the
necessary one.

GREGG KNOWLES
PORT TOWNSEND