Until money talks, visions should walk
Ketchum is becoming the town that?s a lot of talk and no action.
It?s planning to demolish its Visitors Center?or send it to Salmon?in order to trade off its Main Street land to a bank.
Yet, the city hasn?t allocated any money to build a new center?or anything else, for that matter.
Outside of undergrounding power lines and finishing the Warm Springs bike path, Ketchum has budgeted just $260,000 for capital improvements this year?less than the cost of the average home in the valley.
Why is Ketchum so financially pinched? It?s simple.
The city is caught between the state?s 3% cap on tax increases and the cost of city staff. Every year, the city spends a larger percentage of its income on wages and benefits. For example, in its current budget, it will spend 61% of its revenue on wages and benefits. In 2001-02 it spent just 56%. To make up the difference, the city reduced spending on land, buildings and equipment.
Despite the few coins it has left after paying staff, the city is pursuing a land trade for a parking lot near Giacobbi Square.
City leaders are touting their ?visions? of what the parking lot parcel may become?with no solid plans for anything, and no price tags.
Mayor Ed Simon talks about building a new visitors center, park and public restrooms on the city?s new land to create some kind of town square. Yet, unless that idea includes really pricey underground parking, it?s likely to be dead-on-arrival with nearby businesses that would see a quarter block?s worth of parking vanish in the city?s most congested area.
Moreover, making the vision a reality will require a really pricey general bond issue, or a local improvement district that would tax commercial property only?read more taxes, rarely popular ideas.
Right now, the reality is that the city is demolishing its visitor?s center in favor of a parking lot, not a town square.
City leaders should step up and own the reality, have a public hearing on it, and quit trying to sell the trade with ?visions? that mean nothing without the money to pay for them.
