Jeanne Herold’s letter (“Wasteful travel going too far”, March 10) brought up an argument I have seen before in the Auburn Reporter. The argument is that Auburn City Council members should not spend tax dollars traveling.

Personally, I think any organization is better off sending leadership and other employees to training and educational seminars and conferences. One of the benefits of having such opportunities is you see other people. You can learn by networking with others in your field and hear from experts who may help you see things in a new way.

As our elected officials serve in the government, I think it is reasonable to expect that they travel as far as Washington, D.C. I’d be concerned if our leadership wasn’t taking advantage of these opportunities.

Stating that our elected officials “should be smart enough to be able to solve the city’s problems without having to attend a class” shows little understanding of how complex issues can be. I am glad that our council members try to learn more about domestic violence instead of thinking they already know enough to solve the problem.

Furthermore, an additional reason our elected officials travel is that they represent us. They meet with other government officials and other organizations. It’s part of their job.

Being that the City has budgeted expenditures in 2017 of more than $186 million, it seems odd to me that someone would complain about an alleged $49,000 of travel expenses that represents only two-tenths of a percent of the annual budget.

– Jeff Friend