When it comes to good ideas, sometimes you still have to say “no.” That’s the situation I found myself in yesterday as the Board of Supervisors voted on a $785,000 no-interest loan for the Southeast Polk school district to cover the costs for a pedestrian tunnel between its current high school and the new one still under construction.
My colleague, Tom Hockensmith, whose district includes the school, made a compelling argument in favor of the loan. He said the project is a public safety issue, which makes it a top priority.
Jeff Riese, president of the Polk-Des Moines Taxpayers association, said the tunnel is a “wonderful project” but correctly noted that paying for school projects is outside the county’s mission. While I’ve voted to provide some proceeds from Prairie Meadows to schools in the county, I know we have to avoid “mission creep.” That’s what happens when a government takes on more and more duties – and eventually loses the ability to do well in the few areas it’s supposed to be focused.
That’s why I said the loan would have put us even farther down a slippery slope. And that’s why I voted no.
