Mesa Mayoral Candidates on the budget

Once again, the main focus of the article doesn't really seem to be in tune with the headline. This is supposed to be a discussion on budget solutions, and a large portion of the story is about the bond package. The problem is still there whether or not the bonds pass. I understand that things need to be built and the bond will help with that, but its not fixing the long term problem.

The most interesting part is the discussion of the failure of the primary property tax in 2006. I don't think Griswold's assertions are true about the knowledge of the voters when it comes to the tax. They knew what they were voting on, and the people had made it clear what was supposed to happen if the tax went down. I remember phrases like, "more cuts aren't the answer," to help describe the troubles that were ahead.

The problem is, nothing ever happened. Why didn't the City sell its land in Pinal County after the tax went down before the market bubble burst? Why didn't they cut the programs they said they were going to cut? Why didn't the look at these alternative revenue sources before the budget got so bad?

Here is what lies ahead:

-18-month budget deficit of up to $16 million
- 5 percent cut in city department budgets
- An expected reduction in state shared revenue
- Declining sales tax receipts

And they wonder why the council gets blamed for being part of the problem...