In his The World front page “letter to the editor” published 2 July, Dick Leshley informed us that he is not a Coos Bay / North Bend resident; that he was a part of an 18 month duration large Coos Bay committee that determined an additional ten cents per gallon tax on Coos Bay gasoline sales would be appropriate for generating needed roads improvement and maintenance funds; that the committee decided an increase of only five cents per gallon would have a chance of passing a ballot measure; that he supports a higher tax (ten cents) that would “directly increase” his business costs.
Solutions to problems other than increased tax should be sought. If no other alternative, a temporary minimal increased tax collected exclusively for local roads work accomplished in a cost effective manner could be considered. Example - planned reducing one mile of heavy traffic Ocean Boulevard to one lane to accommodate a bicycle is considered dangerous, not necessary or cost effective. I appreciate that increased tax could devastate many of my independent living neighbors in all parts of the city; many who are depression era children now senior citizens on low fixed incomes; some are dependent on local, state and federal assistance programs; many do without daily necessities to survive. Leshley can write off fuel at any price as a business expense; can you?
As TV huckster Ron Popeil would say; but wait, there’s more! Was this letter from the same Dick Leshley of Coos Bay who on April 10, 2015 (during the 18 month committee tenure) wrote to the state of Oregon legislature opposing an increase in the state minimum wage? Does Leshley have no problem with taking money as a tax increase while he opposes helping the less fortunate afford the increased tax?
Eighteen months to identify a known problem and propose an obvious solution; poppycock! Innovative? In industry, the committee would be fired. Is the Coos Bay taxpayer getting the biggest bang for their tax dollar? We seem to love decisions by committee. Perhaps it’s time to form a committee of Coos Bay citizens without political aspiration to take a closer look at where the people’s money has been and will be spent and reallocate more monies to infrastructure needs. Maybe it’s time to put “urban renewal” expenditures under the microscope. Which other funded efforts could easily be done away with?
Fred Kirby
Coos Bay
Solutions to problems other than increased tax should be sought. If no other alternative, a temporary minimal increased tax collected exclusively for local roads work accomplished in a cost effective manner could be considered. Example - planned reducing one mile of heavy traffic Ocean Boulevard to one lane to accommodate a bicycle is considered dangerous, not necessary or cost effective. I appreciate that increased tax could devastate many of my independent living neighbors in all parts of the city; many who are depression era children now senior citizens on low fixed incomes; some are dependent on local, state and federal assistance programs; many do without daily necessities to survive. Leshley can write off fuel at any price as a business expense; can you?
As TV huckster Ron Popeil would say; but wait, there’s more! Was this letter from the same Dick Leshley of Coos Bay who on April 10, 2015 (during the 18 month committee tenure) wrote to the state of Oregon legislature opposing an increase in the state minimum wage? Does Leshley have no problem with taking money as a tax increase while he opposes helping the less fortunate afford the increased tax?
Eighteen months to identify a known problem and propose an obvious solution; poppycock! Innovative? In industry, the committee would be fired. Is the Coos Bay taxpayer getting the biggest bang for their tax dollar? We seem to love decisions by committee. Perhaps it’s time to form a committee of Coos Bay citizens without political aspiration to take a closer look at where the people’s money has been and will be spent and reallocate more monies to infrastructure needs. Maybe it’s time to put “urban renewal” expenditures under the microscope. Which other funded efforts could easily be done away with?
Fred Kirby
Coos Bay
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