Coral Springs

Just a few months after opening a $38-million City Hall and public parking garage — and raising property taxes 23 percent — Coral Springs wants taxpayers to add more debt and again raise taxes.

The three bond proposals, totaling nearly $78 million, suggest Coral Springs is comfortable with its tax-and-spend reputation.

Fiscally conservative voters should send the city a message by rejecting the proposed $27-million public-safety bond and the $26-million parks-and-recreation bond.

The “public safety” bond is more about constructing new buildings than public safety improvements. It would largely pay for a $19-million campus of buildings — 50,000-square-feet of building space for vehicle maintenance, fire department administrative offices, records archives and other city uses. None represents a public safety emergency worthy of a special election.

The proposed $26-million parks-andrecreation bond is similarly filled with pricey projects that would be nice to have, but are not have-to-haves.

Yes, the town’s popular youth soccer and lacrosse leagues wear down the grass, but $8 million for changing eight fields to artificial turf? Stick with replanting.

And nearly $6 million for a 9-foot-deep dive pool at the aquatic center? Or $2 million for an amphitheater and “splash” park, though the city can’t say where? These are luxuries that should be budgeted over time,