Response to the Editorial: Private Acts of Charity

One of our goals at the Edgewater Echo is to create healthy dialogue around issues, opportunities and challenges facing our community. To that end, an Edgewater resident, Larry Welshon, sent us a response to the editorial we posted earlier today and with his permission we have posted it below.

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Thank you Joel for allowing my view to be shared on your platform. 

Clarity on facts:

On April 13, 2020, Council passed on first and final reading an Emergency Ordinance that created and funded both a business and residential residential relief program. As of that night, BOTH programs were established and funded. Because of accounting rules the funds for both of these programs will come initially from general reserves, however, the ordinance requires the City Manager to replenish those reserves quickly from this year’s budgeted expenditures. My understanding from the memo put out by the City Manager’s office is that the general fund appropriations will be paid back through cost savings of not doing certain capital projects planned for this year (e.g. the Mobility Plan for 20th Avenue). 

The details of the business relief program were agreed to on April 13. That is a done deal. What is being voted on April 21 is a resolution that will firm up the details of the residential program. As a resolution, it will have one reading. You have one chance to talk about these details.

Larry’s thoughts on the question of relief.

Joel and the entire City Council agree that it is acceptable to spend city money on relief to private businesses and certain residents of our City. I do not agree with either their reasoning nor their actions. For brevity’s sake, I’ll focus on the pragmatic issues as opposed to the moral ones.

What has happened to our small businesses and our residents is tragic. However, Council’s job is to manage the government of Edgewater whose funds come mostly from retail sales tax. The property taxes paid by all of us – homeowners (directly) or renters (indirectly) – go to different levels of government. None of those funds stay here. 

Our City has good reserves. These reserves were established through the discipline of City Manager Dan Maples and his predecessor. Some of these funds were from one time windfalls and market conditions that are no longer present. What took a decade to build, could take decadeS to rebuild once spent. A Councilor at the last meeting glibly said that rainy day funds should be spent on rainy days. While I agree in principle, I disagree on method.

City government, under the care of our City Councilors, must make sure we have money to provide proper government services to Edgwater as a whole. When I ran for office and as I’ve addressed the Council over the years, I’ve been repeatedly admonished by present and former councilmen that a councilman must look out for the entire city’s well being. 

Here are the projects we are putting off to pay for the direct payments to 79 small businesses and a handful of renters:

• 20th Ave improvements (except the traffic circle at Benton)
• 25th and Gray improvements
• Bike racks 
• Purchase of public works vehicles

If the economy tanks, the payments to our businesses and our residents will amount to little and we’ll likely never have the money from current revenue to do the above projects which will benefit all Edgewater residents and visitors for decades to come. Instead, we’ll give a tiny amount of money to select private businesses and individuals. 

The Council acted by emergency ordinance on April 13 – what is done, is done. Your chance to object (or support) is past. Interestingly, most citizens who were in the virtual meeting and who expressed an opinion on April 13,  were opposed to Council’s actions. Nonetheless, Council proceeded because they were sure of the rectitude of their conduct. 

I encourage you to engage in private acts of charity. I find myself in agreement with Councilor Janet Spangenberg who reiterated several times at the meeting the importance of small amounts of money given to those in need. Find a neighbor who needs help and give them $50 or whatever they need. Keep shopping at our local businesses that remain open. Support Joel’s efforts by giving his non profit money. Let’s see how far private, voluntary charity can take us, as opposed to what the Council has recently approved which amounts to public charity given at the expense of the City’s future.