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Perspective / Amnesia File

Mayor/Council Talking Taxes Before Exploring Taxpayer Savings And Meaningful Spending Reforms


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(Jan. 26, 2016) -- Mayor Garcia and some on the City Council are already talking about tax hikes -- after some of them voted for double-digit management raises in 2013 and all of them voted in 2015 for the taxpayer-milking Civic Center transaction -- but they're clearly not as enthusiastic about exploring taxpayer savings and making meaningful spending reforms. In our opinion, tax increases should be a last resort, not a first choice.

In 2012, at the urging of Mayor Foster and with Council-voted approval, the City hired an outside firm, Management Partners, to examine current city spending practices. The firm suggested a number of ways it believed the City could save money. We didn't agree with all of the firm's suggestions (we criticized their presentation on police staffing at the time) but they did offer recommendations. LB city management implemented some, examined others and encountered resistance to implementing some. Some of the suggestions may or may not be worthy of a second look now. City staff provided periodic updates on the process and the most recent was in 2014. To view it, click here. .

Some of consultant firm's suggested measures have been implemented...but we can think of others that we believe ought to be considered. Unfortunately, the incumbent Mayor and Council didn't schedule any "study sessions" on those three days before Christmas or any other time.

This Council has done plenty of spending but hasn't seriously questioned or moved to change current City spending practices.

Raising taxes without meaningful reforms perpetuates the status quo. To us, it's noteworthy that as of dawn Jan. 26, no Council incumbent has publicly insisted on implementing meaningful reforms before he or she will support seeking tax increases.


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