Mr. Bowman - You are a thinking man, and I really respect that. What a breath of fresh air.
You are absolutely correct - my main point is that there is plenty of affordable housing available. Anything we build now will cost a lot more than our existing inventory. We (the City) simply can't afford any more debt right now. My second point is that we MUST get the greedy middlemen out of the housing equation. If a person/family needs a couple of hundred dollars each month to make ends meet, then Hennepin County should make sure the person/family gets the money (directly or indirectly.) It makes no sense for the Minneapolis taxpayers to fund $95 million for 170 housing units - The Village at St. Anthony. In fact, it's INSANE! It's important for everyone to remember that the function of city government is: streets, sewers, public safety, parks. These are the things our property taxes are supposed to pay for. Our former City Council thought they were in Congress, and now, over half of our property taxes go for debt service. In the past ten years, the MCDA spent over $500 million for economic development and housing. So where is it? Hennepin County is responsible for social services. I think we can help our new Mayor and Council solve a lot of inherited problems if we just slow down and think about practical solutions. Let's make do with what we have. Money is tight - that means we have to be smart instead of lazy. Vicky Heller St. Paul (specifically North Oaks) Still a Mpls taxpayer though _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
