After reading your Jan. 22 Views section I came to the following conclusions.
First of all, with unemployment being at an all-time high; the price of gasoline flipping and flopping between $3.03 and $3.39 per gallon, and higher; the price of groceries rising every time people visit their local grocery/discount store, what type of "transformation" is needed by our community?
Do we need Capitol Avenue property acquisition at a cost of $2 million? Does this mean the city would purchase dilapidated property?
Do we need Capitol Avenue/Old Town property acquisition at a cost of $200,000?
Do we need Capitol Avenue streetscape improvements at a cost of $1.3 million? This would provide such things as sidewalks, lighting and benches for the 400-600 blocks.
Do we need downtown street/sidewalk improvements at a cost of $1.2 million?
Do we need an Old Town Trolley at a cost of $150,000? Are tourists going to stand in line for a trolley ride that encompasses a limited number of blocks in the Old Town district?
Do we need an LU/St. Mary's culinary arts center at a cost of $1,320 million which would make Lincoln University one of the few four-year culinary arts programs in the country and the only one publicly funded.
Do we need a transformation innovation center at St. Mary's at a cost of $1.708 million?
Do we need a study for a Millbottom riverfront master plan at a cost of $475,000, an area that contains snakes, insects and other vermin.
Do we need a study for Millbottom, Wears Creek beautification plan at a cost of $150,000? In 1993 the Millbottom area was completely flooded.
There are many other proposed plans for spending $40.9 million of our taxpayers' money, including building a conference center for $10 million and relocating the gas chamber at a cost of $225,000.
There are homeless, hungry people barely hanging on to survive. We have young people and senior citizens who are in need of our help. We the people of Cole County are being asked to pay more taxes for the above items. This tax increase would be a burden to the poor and the wealthy won't even notice it.
It's time to get our priorities straight and for each qualified voter to go to the polls Feb. 7 and vote no on this preposterous proposal.