The results that come from making tough decisions with a forward-looking view can elicit praise but also scorn.

During my first four years as mayor, we worked hard to lay the foundation of our downtown corridor. It was about cleaning up the blighted, chain-link-fenced parcels and transforming them into vibrant and meaningful gathering places for residents in our community. Those projects served as an infusion of investment into our downtown corridor which will pay dividends in the coming years.

It was something we HAD to do, for our future.

But we now face a real test for this community. Some of those downtown projects have been turned into piñatas on which pessimists can beat, playing into a narrative of government waste and abuse. But this is a false narrative. Financing for those projects came from capital funds, which, by law, can only be used for capital projects – not operational expenses.

Last week’s passage of the utility tax on Lakehaven Water District brought to the surface a strain of opposition from some in our community. I respect every opinion of those who took time to make a public comment at the City Council meeting or call or email me. Your elected officials are charged with hearing those opinions and making tough decisions based on what is best for the community as a whole.

The passage of the utility tax was also something we had to do – and it will provide a vital revenue stream to help correct the structural imbalance that has existed in Federal Way’s budget for years.

The Council and I made the decision to correct this imbalance and get the City on the right path. We refuse to let this city go backward and start to decline. We must invest in our community and grow while also keeping and retaining good and talented employees.

Without reliable sources of income, we will not be able to keep our commitment to public safety and other valuable services.

This small investment in our community will help us to continue to strive to keep our City livable, safe and affordable.

The City of Federal Way has been able to maintain the lowest tax rates of its South King County neighboring cities for 11 out of the past 12 years. And we have routinely looked for economies in our budgets to further tighten our belt and operate within our resources. As various department directors testified to at both the March 6 and March 20 City Council meetings, a budget review analyzed how to create more value for our citizens with fewer resources.

To paraphrase Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th U.S. president: “(Anyone) can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one.”

That’s exactly what we are in the midst of doing: building a great community.

Now is the time to shed the yoke of pessimism. We are calling on carpenters to help build the future of Federal Way.

I often say this is the best job I’ve ever had, and it truly is.

But this vision is not about me, the City Council or Lakehaven Water District.

This is about making Federal Way a better place for you and your neighbors – and generations to come.

– Mayor Jim Ferrell