Potholes and spilled coffee
As a former resident and hopefully a resident again someday, I am concerned about the street improvement project. I don’t expect this letter to make much of a difference, but after living here for close to 40 years, I want to voice my opinion. I have four points.
1. It seems just plain silly, yes, silly, to invest in a 10-year product that will take 15 years to pay off. I don’t think there is a banker in town who would make a loan for that.
2. Our streets are better than the streets Minot, Devils Lake, Rolette and Wolford. Where I currently live, we have a gravel covering, and everyone gets along fine. I think we can put up with a few bumps and dodge a few potholes just as we do when we travel out of town.
3. The increased tax could cause some people to go under financially. This would be a great burden for those whose sole income is Social Security. We shouldn’t pass anything that will hurt people. This is far-fetched, but if we taxed people according to income rather than square footage, having the wealthy pay considerably more than the not as wealthy, I think there would be far less support for this project. For someone making $100,000 plus per year, an $800 tax hike isn’t that big of a hit, but for someone in the $10,000 to $20,000 range, it’s huge.
4. I think there is probably a demon or something on 4th Street. I don’t think it can ever be permanently fixed, so residents on 4th, buckle up! I think a good patch job for the next 10 years would be better than sending millions of our dollars out of town. Let’s keep our money right here in Rugby.
I have no beefs with anyone in Rugby. In fact, everyone is awesome. So for now I’ll continue to hit a few bumps, spill some coffee, and dodge potholes, just as I do when I travel out of town.
Halvorson is a resident of Delta Junction, Alaska.