Springs 2010 budget, attempted MASSIVE tax increase with Prop 2C (home, unemployment)

[Bullitt007]

The sky is not falling...Colorado Springs is a great place to live and always will be. Relax...

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by Bullitt007

They won't be going to Pueblo, that's for sure!

They already are, just look at the PBR and what it has done to Pueblo and the Riverwalk area. That could of been downtown Colorado Springs.

[sterlinggirl]

The people screaming that no new taxes will cause a catastrophe sound a lot like teenagers trying to convince their parents that the world will end if they can't have an iphone.

If the city can't afford to water their parks, they should cut the fat out of their organization and try to get their worker productivity on par with the private sector.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by sterlinggirl

The people screaming that no new taxes will cause a catastrophe sound a lot like teenagers trying to convince their parents that the world will end if they can't have an iphone.

If the city can't afford to water their parks, they should cut the fat out of their organization and try to get their worker productivity on par with the private sector.

What fat are you talking about? What productivity figures? We hear these same old arguments about governments at all levels, it's nothing but noise, bloviating the usual cynical "hate the government" comments based on vaporous allegations. Spare us.

[froggin4colorado]

COS is one city that seems to operate with more common sense rather than obvious corrupt politicians(meaning I am sure there are some there). Of course things could improve, everywhere has that.
I miss COS

[COflower]

Originally Posted by Maynerd

Well stated, Mike. And the people who voted down 2C will certainly blame our "inept" city leaders when the parks dry out and the pools are closed.

Well, yeah, because of their ineptitude people didn't want to give them another chance at screwing it up further. The blame is already there.

There are very few I know personally since the economy went in the crapper that hasn't had to cut back on things. Fortunately, those I know that are hit by this hadn't gone on spending sprees like buying cars or homes they can't afford when the ecomony was doing well and with a few minor cutbacks are still living well...go back to the link I provided on the first page of this thread and you will see even a city councilman admitted to blunders.

See that's the thing, governments can't do things what our city did and expect its citizens to bail them out. (Same can be said with the big banks and auto companies but that's another thread and forum entirely.) The city "leaders" did a p*$$poor job in a city of people that are pretty dang stingy with taxes...the City should run a tight ship and spend today what makes sense a decade from now, not because they can.

Maintaining a quality of life doesn't mean building a bazillion parks it can't maintain. Our streets cleared in winter is much more important and we have a generous amount of open space just outside Colorado Springs. This city does not hurt for parks one bit. Turn the swimming holes, which most are only open part of the year anyway, over to a private company to maintain. Heck, most people I know utilize existing parks or head up west of town to get away. The park behind where I live is usually packed but that's because we're allowed to have dogs in our complex so most of what you see are dogs and their owners...(now if I could just convince my neighbors that it's not big giant dog litter box, HEHE, take some bags with you, sheesh people!)

Maintaining a quality of life means the city uses the monies it asked for and received for keeping an already crappy bus system working for those can't rely upon cars for whatever reason.

Maintaining a quality of life means not buying into the USOC for a total cost of around $35 million (when it's all said and done) when police and fire crews are going to get the ax.

Yeah, the blame is there before this vote became final and people don't want to see this happen again when we tax-tightwads have given the thumbs up in the past.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me

Not willing to go that round again until new people are in leadership.



EDIT: This is my 1200th post. Go me.

[sterlinggirl]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

What fat are you talking about? What productivity figures? We hear these same old arguments about governments at all levels, it's nothing but noise, bloviating the usual cynical "hate the government" comments based on vaporous allegations. Spare us.

I'll try to remember that the next time I see municipal workers leaning on their shovels.

[YoYoSpin]

The real issue with our city IMHO is the same one that many households face – finding a way to live within our means, not always assuming that growth can be sustained, and anticipating tight times by saving a few dollars. The city has based its entire budget model on growth – sales tax revenue growth mainly. When people stop spending, the city’s growth model is interrupted, and pain results.

Given the resounding defeat of the city's proposed property tax increase, which was a pretty lame attempt to bridge declining sales tax revenue, I think we have two fundamental choices on how to proceed:

1) Wish and hope that the economy improves, assuming that we can get back to the place where anyone who wants a job is able to get one, and that sales tax revenue for the city regains its upward momentum – which means...get back to the "spend baby spend" (get a second mortgage on your home) mentality as soon as possible.

Or…

2) Make a fundamental change in mindsets - throttle back spending, realign expectations, cut up the credit cards and live within our means. The city, like so many individuals, has got to face reality – the good times of continuous growth may be over, and that a new initiative of hard-nosed budgeting and priority tradeoffs is required.

The real shame of this tax increase proposal's defeat is that our city's leadership was not able to anticipate what to so many of us...was an obvious outcome.

[Josseppie]

This is something else to think about. It was in the Gazette.

At a time when the Springs is poised to implement some of the deepest spending cuts in recent memory, will service reductions and potentially detrimental effects on the area’s quality of life derail new economic development strategies?

The link: Some fear city cuts could stunt growth in Colorado Springs | city, springs, stunt - Top Stories - Colorado Springs Gazette, CO

[sterlinggirl]

Originally Posted by Josseppie

This is something else to think about. It was in the Gazette.

At a time when the Springs is poised to implement some of the deepest spending cuts in recent memory, will service reductions and potentially detrimental effects on the area’s quality of life derail new economic development strategies?

The link: Some fear city cuts could stunt growth in Colorado Springs | city, springs, stunt - Top Stories - Colorado Springs Gazette, CO

If you read down to the end of the article, it says the higher taxes would have derailed economic development, but service reductions aren't expected to put off potential employers.

People tend to forget that taxes are as much of a behavior modification tool as a way to collect money. When you increase taxes on cigarettes, the reason stated for the tax increase is to stop people from smoking, right? When you increase property taxes on businesses, the same element of behavior modification would encourage businesses and people to relocate out of COS rather than into it.