A few dollars here, a few there …

To the editor: I see that the Mount Prospect village leaders are at it again. They want $13 million-plus for more building expansion. Of course this is just for openers. The other shoe hasn't dropped yet. The Public Works campus needs expansion. One reason given is to provide more wash bays to wash the village vehicles; very important, I'm sure, to the well being of the citizens.

Then there is a new fire station and of course the usual "miscellaneous" items. As usual rest assured that it will only add a few dollars, as with the past projects, to your tax bill. Let's see: the "few dollars" in the past were for openers. To that add the $600 fee for emergency ambulance services, the $75 a year garbage collection fee added to the costs already included in our tax bill. I almost forgot the increase in sales tax, but then why be concerned? It's only a "few dollars" a year.

My question is, why are all these expansions in public facilities necessary? The village growth in the last decade has been minimal, far outstripped by facilities growth. The growth in village payroll has expanded similarly. In the past one could walk into the old village hall and see the employees sitting on desks chatting. At the same time citizens were waiting in line to transact village business.

This "essential" activity (chatting) is now hidden by the private cubicles set up in the new enlarged facility. The lines are still there. Perhaps we are overstaffed and undermanned. Instead of adding workspace reduce the need for it.

Ken Kitzing

Mount Prospect