To the editor:

Before the Langley City Council passes a new ordinance scheduled for a second reading at the next council meeting, a decision needs to be made on the size and structure of our city government.

The expense for the executive branch has grown from $86,159 in 2008 to $103,095 this year, a 19.6 percent increase. I think the 2010 Census will show that we are shrinking in population but, in any case, that seems like a lot of government for a small town.

And what about the next election? Will the incumbent be running for a full-time job and a $71,300 compensation package while the challenger will be running for a part-time job that pays $21,000?

I assumed, like many others, that the mayor was an employee of the city. How else could the city council change the structure of the executive branch; eliminating the city administrator, adding a special assistant and changing the compensation package for the mayor?

If the position of mayor is not an employee of the city, how can the council make such changes after we, the citizens of Langley, elected our official? I’m confused. The council has work to do.

Don Rowan

Langley