What services do you expect your Enumclaw city government to provide? Do you expect them to pay for operation of the library? How about hiring a new police officer in the light of our recent annexations and our often short staffing? How about fixing city streets? Which priorities should come first, operating the library, or fixing our streets and hiring at least one more police officer?

These were some of the issues discussed at the Feb. 13 city council meeting when the council agreed to put the question of annexing to the King County Library System on the ballot on April 17. We citizens of Enumclaw need to understand how municipal funding has been deeply impacted by several factors that make it difficult to provide even the core services to our community, and how we as a community must face up to that reality, and quit denying that to properly run a city we must fund those core services.

We are currently funding operation of our library out of a property fund (Fund 180) that came out the sale of property on Battersby and the land that the Sears store rests upon. Fund 180 was designated to be used for capital expenses to maintain our buildings: Roofing and other major repairs and other maintenance.

That money is a reserve fund. Once it is spent, it’s gone forever. Sound financial policy teaches us that we should not use reserves to pay operating expenses, and yet we did that very thing for budget year 2012. The Council saw that there was a shortfall in the general funds. They decided they were not going to use the money left over from the transfer of the fire department to District 28.

Yet, what will the council do in 2013 if the KCLS annexation vote is defeated in April? Where will the funding come from when we can’t even hire one new police officer or fix our streets which become more and more costly the longer we delay? At least two council members have said publicly the city will have to shut down the library because we can no longer afford it.

Property tax money for city operations is declining due to decreased revenue. Because of the Eyman initiative, city government is limited to 1% increases per year when inflation has been 3% per year or more for most years since voters passed the initiative several years ago. REET (Real Estate Excise Tax), which comes from the sale of houses, has been declining since the Great Recession hit in 2008, now going on its fourth year.

Some on council suggested the city give back the money to the taxpayers spent on the library if the KCLS passes. That will further decrease the city’s ability to operate the city to the past levels. Others suggested that we should run a levy to pay for the library, but if we do that, it decreases our taxing ability to raise money to fix our streets and hire new police officers. Again, we must make difficult decisions. The city has been making cuts since 2009, and there is not much left to cut. There is no excess fat in city government.

We citizens must face up to the fact that unless we increase our city’s funding, the core services the city has been providing must be cut. There is no such thing as a free lunch. No more tax increases will mean major cuts in service. Are we willing to face reality, or do we think we can cut city income forever and still have the same level of service as we have in the past. We need to wake up to that reality.

Richard H. Elfers

Enumclaw

Editor’s note: The author is a former Enumclaw City Council member and currently sits on the Library Board, but submitted this letter as a private citizen