Columbia Falls cannot afford big-city attitude

To the editor:

Our City of Columbia Falls seems to have been doing a big city turn around in the last six months or so.

I have heard it said that our area is growing. Well, maybe so. The area grows in many ways, like a new water system which is coming along, and is a very costly program that we need very badly.

Now, there are some other areas that are beyond the reach of all City taxpayers and appear to be out of reason - like the permit business which is asinine from the word go. Why should a taxpayer have to obtain a permit to hang a sign advertising his or her place of business and then obtain another permit to hang the same original sign in another location?

Then we have extension cords for Christmas lights. One particular business was told to take the extension cord down that connected his Christmas lights to an outlet on his building because the outlet was not grounded. Now you officials can drive all over town looking for cords plugged into grounded outlets and maybe you'll find two or three in the whole town. But it seems to me that there is one party who seems to be picked on by our officials - of whom we don't need so many.

Our town is being over run by regulations and "regulators". Now this doesn't create any good feelings for either party.

Let's not try to go big city because we of Columbia Falls cannot afford it. As we all know, big cities are running in the red more and more all the time as they progress. And as we all know, progress keeps costing more as it marches on.

Come on you guys on the pedestals -- don't forget there are still little guys who pay the bills. Let's back off and give the little ones a break or two!

by Linc France
Columbia Falls, MT
Jan. 19, 1995