Yes Mike, I agree with you that Prop S, approved in 2006, was not a solution to all Crestwood’s financial problems, but was just to pay off debt incurred years earlier and it is doing so as promised.

But while striving to get Crestwood “back,” the mall continued to decline and then we lost the Dillard’s anchor. First-quarter results for 2008 showed sales-tax revenue down by 12 percent as compared to the same period in 2007.

The Board of Aldermen proposed a tax increase of 35 cents per $100 assessed value only after three town-hall meetings were held to educate residents on service costs, followed by a fourth meeting to review projected income needed to pay bills.

I feel that consideration of how long before the mall development starts to provide income and how much more sales taxes will fall in our uncertain economy certainly justifies their recommendation.

General cost cutting, staff reductions, deferred maintenance, department reorganizations and performance teams’ projects have already occurred to balance budgets thus far.

The Board of Aldermen voted to put the tax increase on the August ballot so we could study the issues and vote our choice.

Only one alderman opposes the tax in-crease, advocating no case for a tax increase has yet been made and we should cut costs by attrition. What is attrition but more cuts in personnel as people who retire or quit are not replaced. We have grown accustomed to quick responses from police, fire and public services. That’s what we’ve been paying for to this point and that’s what we want — no more cuts.

We are moving forward with new developments — Sappington Square, the Villas of Crestwood, the Crestwood senior living complex, Watson Plaza and several new businesses still under construction.

Where else could you live in a community like ours for this price? Even with this tax increase we’re still below Webster Groves, Shrewsbury and Maplewood. And when the Prop S debt is paid off in 2011, we will also be below Kirkwood, Sunset Hills, and Richmond Heights. We have a good deal here in Crestwood and we need to pay a bit more to keep it that way.

Char Braun

Crestwood