By Ed Allen, Editor

West Lake Hills taxpayers have good reasons to object to the three-foot wide concrete walkway along Reveille Road, $67,000 worth of them. But a story on Page 5 indicates that only one resident spoke out against the expenditure, and that resident actually lives and regularly walks on the half-mile roadway.

The walkway will be the first of its kind to be built entirely with city funding, and it is not part of any concerted effort to install similar sidewalks throughout the 4-square-mile city. If there were such a plan, residents, whose tax dollars will be used to build this walkway, would likely have more reason to support the project even if they never used it. However, topography prohibits the installation of sidewalks along the majority of the city’s streets. So, the Reveille Road sidewalk seems  to be one for a select few residents. Such significant expenditures from a city’s general fund should benefit more than a few dozen residents.

That lone resident who spoke out against the expenditure, J. Stern, makes an interesting point on this issue in a letter to the editor (also on Page 5). He points out that in a city poll of residents living along the street, only seven responded positively to the sidewalk project and four were against it. Amy Simmons, a former member of the City Council who opted not to seek re-election in May, is one of the Reveille Road residents who supported the project. She likely made some good points about the relative ease with which the sidewalk could be built, but any fiscally responsible elected official should question building it at this time. Two of the newest members of the City Council did. Unfortunately, Spencer W. Stevens and Stan Graham went on to vote for the project. It was unanimously approved. But hats off to these two newcomers for offering their a voice of reason by expressing concerns about the project. 

If the City Council had conducted a poll of all of the more than 3,100 residents to determine if this particular project is worth the expense, we feel certain most of the City Council members would change their minds. Otherwise, those who are up for re-election in May 2010 will likely find themselves on the short end of that vote.