My fellow Tigard citizens,
I am a retired RN who moved to Tigard one year after our current police facilities were built in 1984. Since then, our city has almost tripled in size, as has the size of our police department. So it’s not surprising that the space in our 1984 building is extremely inadequate for our city today.
For over a decade, I sat on my hospital’s Emergency Management Committee. Thus, I know that having staff and equipment readily at hand is critical for fast, effective responses to community emergencies. At a recent tour of our Police Department and Public Works facilities, I was alarmed to learn that critical equipment needed in an emergency is spread across nine locations, and officers must go out of town for their routine training. This would hamper the response of these vital departments during natural disasters and other city emergencies, potentially leading to needless injury and deaths. I also learned neither facility is seismic-proof, which is concerning here in the Northwest.
Thus, I am definitely in favor of Measure 34-349. But can this 80-year-old afford to have my taxes increased, given my fixed income?
The answer is yes, at a tax increase of under $15 a month for average households, I can afford this bond measure. Independent oversight by community members is part of this measure to ensure our tax dollars will be spent as intended. This gives me even more confidence that passing this measure is the right thing to do for the safety of Tigard’s citizens.
