I recently requested service from Kirkland. I didn’t get it. I was advised that in order for the City to investigate compliance with its laws, I would have to complain.

Staff is not doing its job to enforce the many laws the Council have passed but don’t enforce until a complaint is filed. Instead of staff checking compliance, apparently all of Kirkland’s citizens must become squealers. Staff, not citizens should enforce what the Council adopted. Council should stop passing laws that requires citizens to become squealers to be enforcers.

Cost is a factor. Many jurisdictions pass laws that are not enforceable if staff were required to check for compliance.

I remember when several years ago, a neighborhood complained that chip sealing their roads was not acceptable. Chip sealing in their neighborhood stopped. However, as we see now, all neighborhoods are not treated equally. They too need to complain.

Robert L. Style, Kirkland