I support Auburn Mayor Normand Guay and City Councilors Kelly Matzen, Bethel Shields, Robert Hayes and Eric Samson, who voted for a new 334-car, $5 million parking garage.

Parking fees and taxes from new office buildings and hotel development will pay for the parking garage debt, maintenance and operational costs.

The first office building worth $7 million will be built. With a garage, two or three more buildings can be built worth $12 million to $15 million each. The office development should create 200 to 300 jobs. Employees and customers will pay to park. The hotel, YMCA and several other businesses need additional parking.

The city completed a 25-year cost-revenue analysis for the garage. The first scenario assumed collecting additional tax revenues from the first office building and hotel. This would generate $2 million above costs. The second scenario assumed new tax revenues from four new office buildings and hotel. This would generate a positive cash flow of $8.45 million.

This very conservative analysis assumed no increases in valuation, mill rates and parking fees, which were estimated at $35 per month for only 250 spaces over 25 years. Other local public parking garages currently charge more for most spaces.

The mayor and four city councilors made a positive decision based on facts, not emotion. The bottom line is the parking garage will bring new revenue and jobs to the downtown at no cost to the taxpayer.

Gerard Dennison, Auburn