I am not surprised that Council member Linda Johnson opposed the Maple Valley City Council 2011 Budget on December 13. Nor am I surprised that she wrote a letter explaining in her words why she did so. Specifically, she once again expressed her dissatisfaction with the council’s decision to add additional police officers. However, while I support her right to express her opinions and beliefs I do not agree with her nor do I feel they are supported by the facts. Instead, I believe all the facts support that this was a decision that was carefully thought through.

The addition of officers is one of the major reasons why I support the 2011 budget. In the first twelve budget cycles our city councils never added even one officer even though our population nearly doubled. Finally in late 2009 for the 2010 Budget we added one officer. During 2010 I had the privilege of serving the city as the chair of the Public Safety Oversight Committee (PSOC), which has provided an invaluable learning experience. From the very beginning there was no denying the facts that we genuinely needed more officers, not only because of population increases but also because of other statistical and demographic trends. Operationally, we were truly staffed at a bare bones level. Since the need was established the PSOC began to think about future budget impacts and financing possibilities early in the year.

Then by spring of 2010 the PSOC became aware of major issues relating to likely changes in the King County Sheriff Office’s support arrangements for Maple Valley. Unfortunately, by fall these changes began to turn into the reality of the move of Precinct No. 3 away from Maple Valley to a consolidated precinct in Sammamish coupled with a major reduction in county officers. The city had grown to rely on their constant presence and cross dispatching support, both of which are now significantly compromised this year and in future years.

With PSOC concurrence, Police Chief Michelle Bennett presented all of this information to council in September. In October the PSOC proposed an affordable increase in public safety staffing along with a way to responsibly finance that increase. Unfortunately, given all other budgeting realities the only way we could finance the needed positions was with a utility tax increase.

I share Council member Johnson’s concern about raising taxes, it is not something I like doing. However, the city is faced with genuine public safety realities. If anything, my concern is that the budgeted increase in officers may not be enough. That increase only helps us to partially catch up to the city’s explosive growth. It doesn’t fully address all the ramifications of King County’s decisions. I want to keep Maple Valley a safe and pleasant place to call home.

Did the Maple Valley City Council take the easy way out when we voted 6-1 to approve the 2011 Budget on December 13 and affirm our October decision to provide a more appropriate level of public safety for the citizens and businesses of Maple Valley? No, the easy way out is to do nothing or very little. Instead, six of us chose to do the right thing, the hard thing. It is not easy to raise taxes, even by a few dollars in this economy or just prior to an election year.

Layne Barnes

Maple Valley council member