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Billings City government would be much improved if staff and council members held more respect for the citizens they ostensibly serve. That’s all that the recent park improvement district controversy is about.

For the most part, it seems — once they have paid their taxes — the citizens of Billings are viewed primarily as irritants. Prevailing in the attitude of city government toward citizens is the condescension inherent, anytime, that forthright, honest discussion and information is replaced, with manipulation and trickery. Nothing demonstrates this profound lack of respect, more so, than the current controversy regarding the proposed city-wide tax for park maintenance.

No one seems to doubt that city parks have not been maintained as they should, and that the needs have gradually increased to become a serious problem. But if there is a case to be made that that is true, then make that case to the taxpayers and let them decide.  In the end it is the taxpayers’ – the citizens’ — choice to make; not that of the city staff, nor even of the City Council. Such is the nature of the democratic process.

What arrogance does it take, not to get that fact? It seems that 99 percent of the public readily understands it, why isn’t it understood by those who run city government?

The flaunting of due process and disrespect for the citizens extends to a state legislature that found fit to pass a law, the primary purpose of which is to allow municipalities to circumvent its citizens – a hat trick, designed to do an end-run around city charters and state laws, which otherwise require mill levy increases to be approved by a vote of the people.

It’s tough to muster up much respect for city officials who go around advising each other, staff, and citizen board members not to talk about a proposed park district until after the library levy is passed. At least no more respect than what is demonstrated by the city officials who partake in that kind of strategy.

The disrespect is all the more repugnant given that the citizens of Billings and Yellowstone County have never demonstrated a lack of responsibility in being willing to step up to the plate, when they are convinced it is necessary. But, the case has to be made.

Once convinced, the people in our community have shown incredible levels of generosity and responsibility, in a very broad way, whether it is the very generous volunteer donations made in support of Amend Park or Stewart Park, or in support of bond levies to build Dehler Park, a new library, or a new roof for Rimrock Auto Arena. They may not always agree with the administrators or the promoters and agitators of specific agendas, but again that is the people’s choice to make, and the administrators’ responsibility to accept.

It shouldn’t be surprising though,  that campaigns for very specific and limited projects, will fare better than will the call for open-ended, on-going levies. There is wisdom in the people’s understanding about how to control the growth of government, and that too should be respected. In all truth, however, therein probably lies the real motivation for the antics of city hall. On going revenue streams, never again having to come before voter scrutiny, would not only revitalize the parks, but would facilitate the ease of future tax increases, and the shifting of budgets to fund things that administrators know would not be so well received by the voters.

Hardly a soul has been heard to deny that city parks need help, and there’s little doubt that if approached in an honest and forthright way, the citizens of Billings will rise to the occasion. It may be that, given the current state of the economy and the new burden of the library, they will opt to postpone it until a later date. It may be that they will want to see a specific sum for a limited time. What ever it may be, such is the voters’ decision to make, in a process that is not “fixed.”

If the proposed special improvement district, which requires half the property owners to protest, in order to stop it, is considered such a good idea by our public officials, then let them live by the process. Let’s require the city council to collect signatures of 60 percent of the property owners in order to initiate a special district; that is, after all, how real special improvement districts work. Maybe that’s a process to which all of government should adhere.

Given what has evolved of city government over the past few weeks, if city parks wind up going even longer without the funding they need, it will be the fault of city officials and a city council that forgot that they are the servants of the people and that the citizens are partners to be respected, in the endeavor of building and growing our city.