Raising our own taxes is never easy. It is an idea, frankly, that we likely would seldom support. Seems like government gets enough of our money, and much of it seems to be wasted at times – at least at the federal and state levels.

But we are lucky here in Marysville and Arlington. Our governments are thrifty; some might call them cheap.

Anyway, we appreciate that Marysville and Snohomish County are asking voters about raising taxes to support public safety. We don’t always seem to have a say on such things.

We support both the city and county measures. There is nothing more important to communities than public safety. Without it, we have nothing.

The city is understaffed when it comes to officers. Comparing it to other local communities proves that. The police do a great job. But as the city grows it will need more help. Let’s be proactive, like the department itself is, and be prepared, rather than waiting for crime to overwhelm us before reacting.

If both measures pass, Marysville will get $750,000 from its measure and $150,000 from the county’s measure. Arlington would also get money is that one passes.

Please be sure to note that the rebuttal in the Voters Pamphlet is inaccurate. In Marysville, the law was written so the money can only go toward public safety. We hope that misprint doesn’t hurt the cause.

The measure on the Aug. 2 primary ballot would raise the sales tax in Marysville 1/10th of 1 percent – or a dime for every $100 spent. If the county one passes too, it would jump to 30 cents for every $100 spent. The tax would be paid by everyone who buys something. That means even visitors to our communities will be helping pay the tax.

Public safety is important to our communities. The cost is minimal for the peace of mind it would bring.