I would like to express my unwavering support for the three remaining councilors. I respectfully urge the City Council to remain focused on addressing the genuine budgetary challenges that Baker City currently faces, without allowing Hodgdon and Waggoner to divert our attention.

The original Budget Board demonstrated exceptional skill in navigating the path to bridge the FY2024 budget shortfall, all without imposing a safety fee on our citizens. I have full confidence that the individuals chosen to join the City Council will prioritize, as their first order of business as a quorum, the rescinding of the “safety fee” vote, previously endorsed by Hodgdon and Waggoner. This vote should be incorporated into the various new general fund sustainable revenue streams, which will necessitate public approval in November to move forward. Moreover, I recommend that all options be presented in town hall meetings to engage and gauge public support. This approach will foster a sense of citizen inclusion as opposed to exclusion resulting from the safety fee vote.

In these critical times for Baker City’s future, we simply cannot afford to expend any more valuable time on distractions. I am confident that the City Council will make the best decisions for our community’s well-being.

Michael Russell

Baker City