As those who pay attention to local politics will recall, the proposed lagoon in Fountain Park generated a public outcry, much of it a reaction to the spending of tens of thousands of public dollars on a “feasibility” study.

Many Fountain Hills residents already had a strong sense that the idea was illogical, impractical, unwanted and actively objected to it. The proposal was eventually withdrawn, only to morph into a proposal for a new property tax. That debate will continue in 2018.

Back to the lagoon, the consultant’s recommendation was recently released and, no surprise, the idea would be expensive and not create the promised revenue. Unfortunately, the town council had already spent tens of thousands of dollars of our money for this opinion, which many of us offered for free.

Back to the proposed property tax, which would give the council free reign to spend on many things, not just street maintenance and other justifiable expenses. Be careful and don’t just sign a “blank check.”

My point is this: The lagoon idea failed largely because of public awareness and involvement. That same attention and interest is necessary to watch over those in government at all levels and is our best protection against wasteful spending of tax dollars and other questionable actions.

As I’ve written (many times) before, one way to stay informed and active is the Fountain Hills AZ Tea Party. We are still here and still offer you a convenient, local means of being a part of the process of government and governing.

This month, we welcome our state legislators (John Kavanagh, Michelle Ugenti-Rita and Jay Lawrence). We hope you can give it a try and join us on Thursday evening, Jan. 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the FHUSD Learning Center and visit fhteaparty.us.