That money comes from a bond that was passed 4 years ago. The people that voted for it (overwhelmingly, if I remember correctly) told the city they wanted them to basically take out a loan to spend it on parks. The bond money needs to be spent on what the city promised us it would be spent on. It can't be just thrown back in the pot, unfortunately. The city has to pay back the loan, whether or not they spend the money. If they don't do something with it, it seems to me that it would be like taking out (and starting to pay back) a mortgage before you have the house.

Where are you getting the $4 million figure? The city offered only $550,000 and for 31 acres, that's actually a pretty good deal. If they buy it now, maybe they can sell it in a few years when real estate picks up again and make a little money for us...

There must be other ways they can trim. Another poster hit the nail on the head. We will all have to sacrifice - whether it's with decreased services or with a tax increase.