Counter Misinformation with the Truth!

Mesa 2025: Financing the Future Committee Final Report

I am proud to live in a city with such dedicated citizens as those who served on this committee. Thanks to each of them for their time and effort. I've sat on these kinds of committees and until you do it is hard to understand the amount of work that goes into getting the job done. Further more, I explicitly trust their recommendations because I believe each to be honorable and truthful, and totally interested in how best to make our city run efficiently and with the best possible results.

You know, we are in competition with every other city out there...in some way or another. Some gripe about how much we are paying our new City Manager. I can assure you it isn't a cent less than what he is worth, and not a cent more than was needed. In order to get the best we have to do whatever it takes.

Under Section VI, Committee Recommendations, they started with a statement of principles to guide them:

1. It is the intent that the proposed recommendations present a total level of taxation that is commensurate and competitive with the communities in the region.

In other words, Mesa can no longer afford to be the maverick in the Valley. We have to fess up to the fact that other cities are fighting tooth and nail for money out of the pockets of Mesa citizens. That's why it was so important to have Riverview cleared for development...to send a message to all others that we are no longer going to stand for our neighbors to steal tax dollars that should rightfully stay in Mesa.

2. It is the responsibility of the City Council to determine the specific extent of necessary revenues and make ongoing adjustments as necessary to ensure that the City operates at the least expense possible while providing the levels of service desired by its citizens.

Their next recommendation: Prioritization and Reviatalization of City Services. The City Council shall annually formulate a list of city spending prirorities, and discuss and approve this list in a regular meeting (that means with us present to encourage them and keep and eye on what they're doing!). Each priority must be result oriented and paired with specific indicators of success, consistent with the parameters set forth in this document. The City Council should not approve the final budget unless it is consistent with the approved prioritized spending list.

Tomorrow - a Mesa Citizen's Advisory Committee recommended.