Sunset clause: Bond levy has value. What we don't want is tax without end.

We don't like taxes.

We will start by saying that up front.

And we especially don't like open-ended "we aren't going to exactly tell you when we are going to stop collecting the money -- just trust us" bond levies.

So before we start talking about the $18.9 million parks and recreation levy, we want to say that the last thing this community needs is another place to waste money or another revenue stream to be misused, mishandled, misspent.

We need infrastructure, schools and, for goodness sake, filled potholes.

But we are interested in this levy for one very special reason -- the future.

Although there are parts that we think the city could do without, and that offer some problematic consequences for some residents, there is enough in the proposed city bond levy to make it interesting.

We have to fix the W.A. Foster Center. The old one is full of asbestos and does not really meet the needs of the community. A new one will give kids somewhere to go after school and will allow for all sorts of recreational programming. If you are serious about stopping crime and getting young people on the right path, you want a new W.A. Foster Center -- no matter where it is.

Herman Park Center is old and facing a rather large number of repairs over the next few years. A revitalized center will give us another place to push afterschool programming and community recreation. It would add a jewel to the park and to help us create a space that is even more usable for families of all types.

But the most attractive item in the bond levy package is the plan for a multi-sports complex.

For those of you who don't already drop hundreds of dollars a year on cleats and uniforms, soccer is one of the fastest-growing sports in the recreation community. Children love it. Parents love it.

Having a state-of-the-art start for a multi-sports complex would draw soccer tournaments to this community -- and those bring dollars and attention. This would be one of the premier facilities in the region -- and that means it would be popular, very popular.

"So, how does that help me?" You might ask.

Tourists bring dollars, which they spend right here in Wayne County. More spending means more business. More business means more income. More income means more chances to do things like build new state-of-the-art libraries, community centers in other parts of the city and county and better roads, bridges and sidewalks.

It is a win-win. And, in our case, it is also a partnership -- one of the first of its kind -- with the Air Force. Use of part of the land is coming via an unprecedented agreement designed to improve offerings for military families -- and the community that supports them.

And don't forget the other part -- amenities in a community increase property values and chase away dark shadows like BRAC.

But back to our first statement: We don't like taxes. And many people will vote against this levy simply for that reason. They don't want to send any more money to the government, period.

But for those who have not yet made up their mind, we encourage you to think more broadly, to look at what an investment like this could do for this community. We remind you that these sorts of investments pay bid dividends if they are managed properly.

And that is where we come to the challenge for the city government.

We demand that you hold yourselves accountable to the people.

We don't want to give you a blank check forever. We want the money spent for the purpose for which it was allotted and then for the tax to be "sunsetted" or retired.

No open-ended forever.

Money assigned, spent and the option to do another project put before the people for them to decide.

We will call you out if you don't.

It is easy to simply write off any request to spend more money. It is much harder to really look at what it could mean for the future.

We can want more for our community and still hold its leadership accountable for the other projects and expenditures it makes.

It is all in how close an eye we keep on their dealings.

That is what is important here.

Published in Editorials on May 3, 2014 11:58 PM