HEADS UP ALL MESA ACTIVISTS. LOOK WHAT YOUR CITY COUNCIL IS UP TOO !!Posted: 2015-11-28
Be ready to rally the troops
Bartlett Bunker 11-23-15
1) Soccer Fields - Outside entities are wanting to build 24 soccer fields, to compliment the existing 6, and an indoor field house at Red Mountain Sports Complex. They are trying to figure out how to fund, not only the construction cost, but the ongoing O&M costs too. It's proposed to be a City owned complex, so at this point everything would be pushed onto our citizens. Right now they are coincide ring a general obligation bonds to fund the construction, and either a sales tax increase, or you the taxpayer pay to fund the O&M. Other options are they sell the property to someone willing to build it, maintain it, and operate it, b) if that's not an option, then the voters have to approve it, the O&M can't impact our current budget, and it has to be open to the citizens of Mesa for use at no additional cost (other than lighting, if used). They are touting an economic impact of more than $90M annually, which would be awesome for our businesses and citizens if that's truly the case
2) At a Study Session (11/19), Mesa School's Superintendent Michael Cowan spoke about early childhood development, with the emphasis on pre-K in the poverty stricken areas of Mesa, which are typically the Hispanic areas in central and west Mesa. Rumor has it that the mayor and Michael Cowan are pushing for a sales tax increase to fund the pre-K program. I have to agree with one of the councilmen that questioned if this is function of the City, or a function of the education community and State Education Board. He asked if they are blurring the line between what the rolls and responsibilities are to the citizens, and what the education communities rolls are to there constituents.
3) Did you receive a polling call? It appears that the Fire union wants to go out for a sales tax increase to help fund public safety. The City has no primary property tax, so sales tax, is one the main revenue streams for the City. The problem is that the TPT isn't a constant. It goes up and down based on consumer confidence. At some point down the road, if that revenue stream decreases, I would think they will have to go for another sales tax increase to close the gap. At what point does it stop?
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