Letter to the Editor: Streets referendum should pass this year

Editor:

As my husband, Paul, drove me home after the Streets and Sidewalks Committee meeting Monday night (where the possibility of an infrastructure mill levy on the November ballot was discussed), I winced at every jarring bump in the road as we drove down 4th Street to 12th Avenue and to Spruce Drive.

My wheelchair does not have shock absorbers, and my wheelchair van is a very low rider, so I feel every road flaw in my whole body. It hurts. I know I'm not the only Havreite affected like this.

We need to pass an infrastructure mill levy this fall. The committee discussed various permutations of a levy, but the salient point was: This issue can't wait any longer.

No one likes tax increases, but at least we will know this tax goes directly to replacing the worst of our streets and the underlying sewers and water lines. If we are proactive, perhaps we will inspire the 2017 Montana Legislature to buckle down and pass a statewide infrastructure bill that can supplement money communities like Havre put forward.

A mill levy is tax deductible. The people with the highest amounts will likely be those who itemize their taxes.

Every renter should vote for this. Your landlord, if like me, will not raise your rent, or not significantly, as a result of passage.

Every person in Havre needs to realize we all use all our streets, not just those on which we live. If I just traveled on Spruce, transit would be smoother; however, I travel on 2nd, 3rd, 16th and all the streets in between.

And don't get me started on accessibility! With each replaced road, we get our generally poorly accessible sidewalks renewed with accessible curb cuts. Hallelujah!

The irony of all this is I will most likely not live to see the improvements. But as Chief Seattle said (I paraphrase), we need to look ahead seven generations. Our predecessors took care of us.

We owe our descendants a similar legacy. I will vote for an infrastructure mill levy for the future good of the city I have grown to love.

Pam Hillery

Havre