Actions speak louder than words. Put your money where your mouth is. These are sayings many people are familiar with, including Washington’s mayor and City Council members.

During the council’s meeting Monday, they put their money where their mouths are and acted. They dug into their pockets and took out money, which they contributed to cover city fees for the use of Beebe Memorial Park during the upcoming Trunk or Treat celebration. It’s not the first time they’ve taken such action to avoid waiving fees for using city facilities. Typically, it’s a nonprofit organization or a civic club that benefits from their generosity.

A pre-election grandstanding play? Likely not. Probably, it’s more about being a good citizens and neighbor. For some, if not all, of the council members and the mayor, the gesture was about upholding a principle. They were standing up for something in which they believe.

Their action came after two requests to have fees associated with using city facilities waived. The first request had to do with waiving fees for a soccer tournament. That occurred with a 3-1 vote, with Councilman Doug Mercer voting against the measure.

“Mr. Mayor, several months ago we raised some fees. At the time, I made the comment that it had been the policy of this board for a number of years not to waive fees. The board, in fact, had made contributions toward the fees,” Mercer said.

The councilman said the council’s decision in June (with Mayor Mac Hodges casting the deciding vote to break a 202 tie) to waive the fees for baseball and softball tournaments at the city-owned McConnell Sports Complex would set a precedent he did not want to set. Those fees were estimated at $5,000.

Barbara Gaskins then approached the council asking that fees associated with the use of Beebe Memorial Park for the Trunk or Treat event be waived. According to city policy, the fee for using the park is $25 (for four hours or less) or $40 (for more than four hours) for city residents. Gaskins said other fees included the cost of having two police officers at the event.

After some discussion about that request, Mercer reached into his pocket and pulled out a $20 bill, saying other council members could come up with the remaining $5 to go toward the $25 fee for using the park for less than four hours. Hodges kicked in $20 toward the cost of providing lighting for the event. Other council members made similar contributions to cover the fees for the event.

That’s getting involved with the community.