To the editor:

County Counselor Patricia Redington should be more careful in opening her mouth to the press.

The Call quoted her in the story where Sen. Jim Lembke wishes to introduce a bill limiting the provision of the recent sales-tax vote to provide new emergency communication equipment.

She stated, “We question, one, whether you can retroactively change it (the sales tax) after voters approved that, and then two, how you can say that the voters can be stopped from considering it again …”

She did not care to research the fact that a similar situation happened in 2002, but it was the flip side of the issue we have here.

The St. Louis Business Journal reported in its Dec. 20, 2002, issue that Bi-State — now called Metro — Citizens for Modern Transit and city and county officials were among those joining in the successful lobbying effort to have the General Assembly repeal the sunset provision of Prop M legislation. Not to do so would have prevented a successful sale of the bonds issued on the sales-tax collection system.

It is noteworthy that Metro also at this time is laying the groundwork to pass yet another sales tax itself.

I wonder if they would graciously re-institute the sunset provision in the first Prop M?

I rather doubt it.

James F. Schaper

Oakville