HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-21-14 Foy Justice Center BondFrom:Andrew Foy
To:Agenda
Subject:Justice Center Bond
Date:Friday, November 21, 2014 2:07:47 PM
Dear Mr. Mayor and City Commissioners,
After reading Messrs. Taylor and Mehl's letter in the Chroniclerecently, I decided to provide you with my input on this issue and thereasons I voted against the bond proposal.
Until the Bearcat issue broke, I more than likely would have voted forthe proposal. While I had some reservations, including my oppositionto continuing tax increases and what appeared to be a somewhat opulentfacility at $23M, I was influenced by Mayor Krause's support of theproposal, and it seemed clear that the current facility had beenoutgrown.
The Bearcat issue, however, has been very concerning to me, not somuch in terms of whether or not we need the Bearcat (which we don't,in my view), but more importantly the manner in which the acquisitionwas made, and the apparent collective deception on the part of theCity Manager, Police Department and perhaps others. To me, thisprocess smacked of high handed arrogance and an attitude that causesme to question the need for the new facility. I believe the publictrust was violated in the Bearcat fiasco, and my vote reflected myreaction to that.
In my view, City Council needs to start over on this. We should bedisposing of the Bearcat to begin with, and then providing morejustification on the need for a new Justice Center. I would also liketo better understand why the facility would need to cost $23M, whichseems to me to be excessive.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss my input, pleasefeel free to email me or call me on 484-467-1658.
Many thanks,
Andy Foy4004 Rain Roper DriveBozeman