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I was wondering if your city had a huge budget deficit what would you say the solution should be and you could you do either one how would you about solving it?
Here are some options are typically on the table
-cuts (police, fire, library, streets)
-property tax increases
-sales tax increases
-user fee increases
-permit fee increases
-park and city property liquidation
Personally, I think the solution is a number of different things when faced with deficits except for two things property tax increases and public safety decreases they should never be allowed.
Overall, when there is a budget deficit the largest cuts should be to libraries, parks and recreation programs, community centers and transit. Even if a city has to cut library, parks and recreation programs in half these programs tend to impact the smallest amount of people with-in a community. Transit should also have huge service cuts when a city has a budget deficit because with the exception of just a few large city very few people take transit.
Also, user fee's are better then property tax increases. Property tax increases are far more dreaded on the community as a whole then the user-fee's or permit-fee increase and impact far more people.
I think as far as tax increases though if a city faced a budget deficit sales taxes increases are better then property tax increases. I dont understood why politicians would even consider a dreaded property tax increase, after all thats the one tax increase that is fairly sure to cost them tons of votes and with a sales tax increase the tourists will be a part of the increase in city revenue.
Also, when a city a deficit its also good for a city to liquidate its parks that are underused to devolopers after all a vast majority of parks in a vast majority of cities are only used occasionally on the nicest of days.
Anyway, I was just wondering if your city or town faced a deficit what would your solution lean towards big cuts or big tax increases?
I was wondering if your city had a huge budget deficit what would you say the solution should be and you could you do either one how would you about solving it?
Here are some options are typically on the table
-cuts (police, fire, library, streets)
-property tax increases
-sales tax increases
-user fee increases
-permit fee increases
-park and city property liquidation
Personally, I think the solution is a number of different things when faced with deficits except for two things property tax increases and public safety decreases they should never be allowed.
Overall, when there is a budget deficit the largest cuts should be to libraries, parks and recreation programs, community centers and transit. Even if a city has to cut library, parks and recreation programs in half these programs tend to impact the smallest amount of people with-in a community. Transit should also have huge service cuts when a city has a budget deficit because with the exception of just a few large city very few people take transit.
Also, user fee's are better then property tax increases. Property tax increases are far more dreaded on the community as a whole then the user-fee's or permit-fee increase and impact far more people.
I think as far as tax increases though if a city faced a budget deficit sales taxes increases are better then property tax increases. I dont understood why politicians would even consider a dreaded property tax increase, after all thats the one tax increase that is fairly sure to cost them tons of votes and with a sales tax increase the tourists will be a part of the increase in city revenue.
Also, when a city a deficit its also good for a city to liquidate its parks that are underused to devolopers after all a vast majority of parks in a vast majority of cities are only used occasionally on the nicest of days.
Anyway, I was just wondering if your city or town faced a deficit what would your solution lean towards big cuts or big tax increases?
I agree there have to be cuts, but you might be forgetting that the majority of people who use some of these services are the poor. If you cut transit you will be making it impossible for many people who live in poorer neighborhoods to actually make it to their jobs thereby damaging the economy and forcing people onto welfare and unemployment.
You can use a sliding scale for transit passes - much like the military uses - and that might lessen the impact on the poor.
I tend to agree with you on the property taxes issue and think the cost could be spread out more evenly with sales tax hikes, but aren't funding initiatives put up for votes in most areas? Wouldn't the easiest way to fight city hall be to actually get out there and vote (or organize people to vote?)???
If I was a Democrat I raise all the taxes, fees, and stifle the economy.
If I was a Republican I'd provide tax incentives to open new businesses and expand existing businesses to increase bottom line revenue without removing monies for the economy. As those new and existing businesses would provide new jobs with provide additional taxes, from additional income, additional property sales and occupation which would be pumping new monies into the economy, which pumps money and revenue into the budget to apply to the deficit. It's simple if you create jobs and growth you create revenue. Additionally, I would also cut out wasteful spending and no bid contracts.
Sometimes you have to spend money to make money ... that economics 101.
My little town has been faced with a deficit. We had natural gas installed in every street in town. The original plan sounded great. But, it turned out to be a money pit. That really knocked us for a loop. Now the publicly owned golf course is in the process of being taken back from the company the city leased it to. The company didn't maintain it or open it this year and some of the repair costs are going to be pretty high. Right now volunteers are keeping up the course. Users are asked to pay their fee's in a drop box and play on the honor system.
Our recreation department is bare bones staff wise. They offer very little throughout the year. Since the community pool was condemned and closed, that has created some surplus in the budget. The city has increased some fee's, it hasn't been too much of a bump.
When we travel out of state, we commonly pay a $1-$8 fee for hotel rooms that goes directly to the local or state government. Our area has alot of traffic on the state highways that come through here. We are very rural, so this is the stopping point for many people. We also have alot of travelers to the state prisons. I think a hotel tax would help create a decent size yearly revenue.
A few years ago a 'summer' tax was voted down. It would have increased the sales tax for the summer season to create a revenue source for the city. It was not a popular idea.
I was wondering if your city had a huge budget deficit what would you say the solution should be and you could you do either one how would you about solving it?
Here are some options are typically on the table
-cuts (police, fire, library, streets)
-property tax increases
-sales tax increases
-user fee increases
-permit fee increases
-park and city property liquidation
Personally, I think the solution is a number of different things when faced with deficits except for two things property tax increases and public safety decreases they should never be allowed.
Overall, when there is a budget deficit the largest cuts should be to libraries, parks and recreation programs, community centers and transit. Even if a city has to cut library, parks and recreation programs in half these programs tend to impact the smallest amount of people with-in a community. Transit should also have huge service cuts when a city has a budget deficit because with the exception of just a few large city very few people take transit.
Also, user fee's are better then property tax increases. Property tax increases are far more dreaded on the community as a whole then the user-fee's or permit-fee increase and impact far more people.
I think as far as tax increases though if a city faced a budget deficit sales taxes increases are better then property tax increases. I dont understood why politicians would even consider a dreaded property tax increase, after all thats the one tax increase that is fairly sure to cost them tons of votes and with a sales tax increase the tourists will be a part of the increase in city revenue.
Also, when a city a deficit its also good for a city to liquidate its parks that are underused to devolopers after all a vast majority of parks in a vast majority of cities are only used occasionally on the nicest of days.
Anyway, I was just wondering if your city or town faced a deficit what would your solution lean towards big cuts or big tax increases?
Start issuing citations on cars/motorcycles that make a lot of noise.
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