Are other residents of Auburn as disgusted as I am to learn that a majority of our City Council has decided to hold the school system to flat funding, which actually represents a loss in real support, while approving millions of dollars earlier this year to build a new parking garage?

When former Mayor Young, members of the city planning office and some of our current city councilors advocated for the building of a new Wal-Mart a few years back, one rationale they offered was that it would serve as a catalyst for other retail growth in the area that would add significantly to the tax base in Auburn. The prime reason put forward for all of the recent expenditures in the downtown area has been the same.

The experience with city tax revenue this year, and as it has been for the past several years, has shown these to be false promises.

Based on the actual votes they made during their terms, a majority of our recent and current city councils seem to value parking spaces more than they value the improvement of the education of children in Auburn.

What a sorry legacy to leave for future generations of Auburn residents.

Tom Wenzel, Auburn