Tax dollars should be spent as promised

To the editor:

Apparently the voters in Linn County and the state don't care about promises made by our politicians or care enough to hold them accountable.

The LOST initiative was sold to the public that 100 percent of the revenues would be used for street repairs. Yet one of the first priority projects is to reconfigure the access to Interstate 380 from 42nd Street NE. How is this a street repair? Have you driven west on 42nd Street past Center Point Road and experienced how poor this road is.

Apparently, the City Council and the Linn County Board of Supervisors have no problem spending as they see fit versus what they told and sold the voters on. Of course their explanation will be one of interpretation as it usually is. Same for the state gas tax increase based on the desperate cry for needed road and bridge repairs. But again The Gazette published a long list of new construction projects this tax will probably fund. More new roads when apparently we can't fund the needed repairs on the ones we have.

Somewhere between the sales pitch and the ultimate outcome the need seems to have diminished to fix existing infrastructure. As voters and taxpayers we should be outraged and demand our tax dollars be spent as promised based on how they were sold. These are our funds and unless we speak out they will be spent as a selected few feels they should.

Brent Bartz

Cedar Rapids