I’m puzzled. It’s apparently fine to fast-track a $10 monthly safety fee on Baker City residents’ water bills to shore up the nearly $5 million budget for our police and fire departments. But when it comes to allowing citizens to vote on a city gas fee — a fee that would generate hundreds of thousands of sustainable budgetary dollars to repair and maintain our crumbling streets, bridges, and sidewalks, our City Council believes Baker City citizens be spared the burden of their vote to choose. How thoughtful.

Michael Russell

Baker City