Responsible Spending
As more people moved to Leadville, and the prices of houses increased, the tax revenue for the city also increased. People who have lived in Leadville for a decade or more have seen the assessments on their houses and their property taxes rise dramatically. While more spending for public services makes sense given the growth, the increase in tax revenue has grown far faster.
Many towns and cities spend their tax money on any good things they can think of until the money is gone. While we expect our city government to take care of public amenities like snow plowing, road maintenance, public safety and order, government services, etc., not everything they spend money on is necessarily worthwhile.
Although we should prioritize and improve how the city provides the aforementioned amenities, the city should also be more disciplined in its spending.
Afterall, the tax money is your money. None of us should mind doing our part to care for the publicly shared parts of our community. But beyond that, citizens, businesses, and organizations know best how they want to spend their money. And they are also keenly interested in making sure that they do not overpay for things.
When it comes to government, however, the same can't be said. City officials have to guess at what people want, and they often have their own pet projects. When projects run behind or cost more than anticipated, city council members don't bear the cost - the taxpayers do.
Far better to lower tax rates, return money to taxpayers, or set it aside for turbulent economic times or for larger social projects, than to simply give non-allocated money the next nonprofit that shows up at a city council meeting
As more people moved to Leadville, and the prices of houses increased, the tax revenue for the city also increased. People who have lived in Leadville for a decade or more have seen the assessments on their houses and their property taxes rise dramatically. While more spending for public services makes sense given the growth, the increase in tax revenue has grown far faster.
Many towns and cities spend their tax money on any good things they can think of until the money is gone. While we expect our city government to take care of public amenities like snow plowing, road maintenance, public safety and order, government services, etc., not everything they spend money on is necessarily worthwhile.
Although we should prioritize and improve how the city provides the aforementioned amenities, the city should also be more disciplined in its spending.
Afterall, the tax money is your money. None of us should mind doing our part to care for the publicly shared parts of our community. But beyond that, citizens, businesses, and organizations know best how they want to spend their money. And they are also keenly interested in making sure that they do not overpay for things.
When it comes to government, however, the same can't be said. City officials have to guess at what people want, and they often have their own pet projects. When projects run behind or cost more than anticipated, city council members don't bear the cost - the taxpayers do.
Far better to lower tax rates, return money to taxpayers, or set it aside for turbulent economic times or for larger social projects, than to simply give non-allocated money the next nonprofit that shows up at a city council meeting
