No Such Thing As A ‘Free’ City

Joe McKinnon, father of the idea Spokane’s suburbs should be incorporated into a separate city, often speaks two words to explain his reason why: local control.

“This is what it’s all about,” McKinnon said a few days ago when asked for an update on the rationale for establishing a city in the suburbs.

Opponents of forming a new city have two different words to explain their reluctance: higher taxes.

Is it possible that both sides are right? I think so.

And the sooner discussions about how to design a better form of government can put the words “local control” and “higher taxes” in the same sentence, the quicker taxpayers can begin to honestly participate in the upcoming decisions about Valley incorporation, city-county consolidation, or just bumping along the way we are.

Local control has a nice ring to it.

The phrase conjures up a picture of a folksy little city hall where mom can go down and chat with the mayor about fixing a pot hole.< But do a reality check: Before he fixes the streets, the mayor may have to file an environmental impact statement with the state, deal with the county air quality control people, abide by federal hiring practices and make sure the central business offices of all the stores along the road are contacted at their Spokane, or Seattle, headquarters.

In other words, local control means working in a much larger world where things aren’t really very local any more and the ability to control a situation doesn’t reside in any one city hall.

And higher taxes? Again, a reality check.

Despite any claims by politicians, our taxes are only going up.

They crept up overnight. Your house and mine are worth more today than yesterday and our property taxes will soon rise accordingly.

Example: The taxable value of property within the boundaries of the proposed City of Spokane Valley has grown to an estimated $2.5 billion, up $500 million in two years.

And the taxes on that more valuable property will go up, too.

And, if the next car you buy comes from a Spokane Valley car dealer, you know that if you pay more for the car, you will pay more tax on it.

Honestly, the proponents of the city of Spokane Valley need to be more forthright on this issue.

The resources to form a new city are there, but the cost of providing urban services will go up if a city is formed.

If streets in the new city of Spokane Valley grow less safe, the citizens can, and will, pressure government to provide more safety. It will cost more.

If residents of a new city want more books in the library, quicker response from the fire department, or smoother streets, they can get it, but their taxes will go up.

Even if you squeeze all the fat out of government and agree to a lower level of services, our tax bills in this urban area will be driven up by the costs of the federal debt, the costs of urban life (more prisons, more family support) and the fact that our kids or grandkids will want to live in at least as clean and safe a community as we do, and that will cost more in a decade.

This is the bottom line as Spokane citizens look at their options for fixing local government.

First, there isn’t any such thing as local control.

Second, the cost of being a citizen in urban Spokane and its suburbs will only go up.

These are realities taxpayers, politicians and concerned citizens need to recognize.

The challenge isn’t to shout local control or no new taxes and see if you can start a parade.

These are ploys, false promises, and they don’t get to the issue of the best structure for local government in the 21st century.

Steve Worthington, one of the elected Spokane County Freeholders working on a proposal for a new county government charter, has listened for months to citizens talk about what they want in local government.

“And what we have heard is that people want representation, responsiveness and efficiency,” he said. “Maybe that’s their definition of local control.”

And on the issue of taxes versus services, Worthington said people understand the basic issues.

“When we hear citizens say they want police and emergency services to respond in three minutes, I think most people understand that they will have to pay for that,” he said.

The rhetoric and posturing about how best to repair and improve local government sometimes gets heated by catch phrases that don’t mean anything and simply generate much heat and little light.

Good citizens, beware.