GROWTH: It affects all services

I don’t think I have ever heard or read something from anyone as uninformed as Jim Burkhardt’s letter of Sept. 22. “New residents will likely never use the services of the Sheriff’s Office.” What a very, very narrow view and understanding you have.

Any increase in population brings with it an increase in need for everything, water, electricity, roads and yes, jail space. The people in jail are there because they have demonstrated they are a danger to the rest of society. Every citizen benefits every time the Sheriff Deputies arrest a criminal and get them off the street. When KCSO are understaffed or don’t have enough room, they have to let criminals out of jail, we all suffer. Local police do not have enough officers to handle every situation and call on KCSO for re-enforcements.

The high price of homes and rent is a nationwide problem. Look at the cities that have gone through rapid population growth and they had to resort to impact fees to pay for all the additional services that will be required; police and fire are just the start.

The problem is the elected officials who are ignoring this and just rubber stamp the request for developers to add tens of thousands of new residents with no thought of the infrastructure required for all the newcomers. The first priority for our tax money should be to fund police and fire. Nothing else will be needed if we don’t have that.

DALE GIBBONEY

Post Falls