By any stretch of the imagination, $161 million is an eye-popping amount. This is especially true considering it’s the estimated cost of all the various projects and infrastructure work the City of Green River has identified in a recent list submitted to the county as part of the specific-purpose tax local leaders intend to propose to voters.

It’s a high number, but it isn’t hard to see how we got here. The city has historically had a very difficult time accomplishing capital infrastructure projects without some kind of external funding. This was true during the mid 2000s when a boo...