I am writing to address the guest editorial by Darlene Peta and the misinformation or missing information in her editorial. Although I agree with parts of her editorial, there is some missing information and a “play” on words which lends itself to not be facts.

I understand the situation we have with the sewer separation problem, but that issue has been there for a long time, and the current leadership who have been in office for some time has to bear some of the responsibility rather than now identify it as “our” problem.

It is true that the city has applied for and received a lot of grant money for the sewer project and the police department which would seem to indicate the city staff has put in a lot of time and effort, but I am not sure they wrote all those grants themselves. Furthermore, the question beckons to be answered as to “why” the city staff or city administration has not previously applied for any fire department staffing grants and “why” they decided not to request any until urged several times by the firefighters’ union to do so. Why did they seek to leave the fire department out?

A well-trained fire department is not the solution to providing adequate fire and EMS protection, but a well-staffed one with full-time firefighters is because if no one is in the fire station, they can’t respond quickly. Then there is the ole’ 82 percent of the general fund figure for police and fire which has been often repeated by some running for council, but has been proved to be a false figure. Regardless, if police, fire and EMS service for the taxpayers are not a priority in the budget, then what is?

Ms. Peta uses the words “tax levy” to reference an article recently written about the “tax rate” which is apples and oranges. The tax rate for the general fund is set by state law and has not changed in over 40 years, and the tax levy is set by the city for the amount of taxes they are going to collect each year.

It is time for some “realism,” and we need to get real about the information being provided to the public and to state facts, not repeat phony figures and comments.

John Johnson

Ottumwa