Mayor Frank Kuntz and City Staff Welcome Wenatchee High School Students for Hands-On Civics

Should the City of Wenatchee buy a portion of the Federal Building? That was the million—make that 9 million—dollar question Wenatchee High School students were asked when they walked in the shoes of city decision makers on December 6.

Thirteen students from Doug Merrill’s AutoCAD class and Jeff Levitt’s accounting class experienced city finances first hand as they spent the day with Mayor Frank Kuntz and other city leaders, including Allison Williams, Executive Services Director, Steve King, Economic Development Director, and Brad Posenjak, CFO.

The students were tasked with studying the city budget, learning about city operations and ultimately deciding whether or not the City should buy part of the former Federal building from LocalTel, who purchased the it in May. 

Studying the City budget, including where money comes from and what it’s spent on, was an eye-opener for many. The learned where the City’s money comes from — taxes. 

“Listening to my parents talk about raising taxes, it sounds really bad,” said sophomore Emily McCarthy. “So I’m like, why would they raise taxes if everyone hates it?”

Students toured current facilities, including police and fire departments, and then toured the old Federal Building. Then they rolled up their sleeves and got to work. They had to decide. Is it a good idea to purchase a portion of the Federal building? How will the City pay for it? Should the city council decide, or should the decision be made by citizens in a public election? How will the city pay for the purchase? Which taxes will they use?

They worked through the process, prompted by questions from the city officials, asking questions, and crunching numbers. “They were very deliberate about their discussions,” said Kuntz. “They looked at other tax revenues. I think they were looking at things the way the city council does.” 

“Youth come at it without preconceived notions,” said Steve King. “They come at it with a very open attitude. The mayor did a great job explaining the issues, and the challenges and consequences of making decisions.”

Ultimately, the WHS students decided that yes, the city should buy the building for $9 million, and that the city council should make the decision. Students decided to raise property taxes to pay for the purchase, remodeling, and maintenance costs.

“This gave me the perspective that there is a reason they raise taxes,” said Emily at the end of the day. “To better help the community.”

“I thought the decision was the right decision,” said Mayor Kuntz, an accountant himself. “This is a fifty-year decision. At the end of the day it’s pay me now or pay me later. It’s cheaper to do it now than it’s going to be twenty years from now.”

“Although we might not see it,” said Emily, “it’s helping in the future.”

“They’re smart kids and they care and they want to do the right thing, and they’re trying to learn,” said Mayor Kuntz. “Our community’s in good hands with the next generation.”