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Letters to the Editor, Opinion | Camas’ spending problem oozes into RFA It’s puzzling — and frankly frustrating — that the city of Camas claims it cannot afford to fund its own police department with additional personnel and equipment, and yet they turned around and asked taxpayers to cover their budget shortfall through a 4 percent increase in utility taxes. Luckily, taxpayers saw through that.But the inconsistency gets even worse when you look at where they are choosing to spend our money, including $5.8 million for a splash pad and remodel of Crown Park — an expensive amenity that, while possibly entertaining in the summer months, offers zero value in terms of public safety, infrastructure or essential services. How does that take priority over equipping and staffing our local police and fire? And a $2.6 million loan to the proposed Regional Fire Authority (RFA) at an interest rate of 2.95 percent — a rate few Camas taxpayers could even dream of getting from their own banks. This loan, which makes up 60 percent of a joint loan with Washougal, raises serious questions such as “Why is Camas leadership promising to loan money out to a new government entity?” and “If we have the liquidity to loan out $2.6 million, why can’t we allocate funds toward protecting our own community through proper police and fire funding?” This isn’t about whether the RFA is a good or bad idea. It’s about fiscal priorities and leadership choices. Public safety should not be up for debate or negotiation — especially not when discretionary projects like park splash pads are moving forward with full funding. Instead of managing resources responsibly, they’re looking to offload costs onto residents through tax hikes and new structures like the RFA. What we need from city leadership is not another tax increase or another bureaucratic entity led by the same people that got us into this mess — it’s a recommitment to responsible budgeting, public safety prioritization and transparent fiscal management. If the city can afford splash pads and low-interest loans, it can certainly afford to keep our police department and fire department staffed, trained and equipped — without asking residents to pay more taxes. Gary Perman, Camas |
