How can the city of Vancouver be considering expanding the city’s obligations to the urban growth area during this time (“Vancouver City Council weighs ‘going big’ by annexing entire urban growth area,” The Columbian, March 28)?
The city already has a very difficult time responding to needs such as crime, affordable housing, homelessness, open drug use, public works projects within the existing city limits. It sounds like the proposed expansion would not bring in additional resources required to meet baseline needs and the city is already in debt. But it looks like we are headed into a recession and to make matters worse, federal funding cuts to public works, transportation, law enforcement, housing, homelessness, Medicaid, etc., are looming due to Trump’s DOGE funding cuts.
I think it’s time to hunker down and try to do a better job with what we have. You think it’s bad now, just wait.
