Inside Mesa

Feeling the consequences of a depleted, City of Mesa budget, is beginning to show in many city services. The dry and thirsty Mesa budget that continues to slide toward the red ink more and more, can only be quenched with the infusion of a stable revenue source. Sources that will pave the way to a healthy budget, fill it, bring it into the black, is knocking at our door.A stable revenue base will fill that need and pave the way to a balanced budget. A budget in the black is to have a base the city can rely on year after year. Planning for the future is necessary, it’s tomorrow and the years to come.With an estimated population of 600,000 in the near future, the need becomes greater. Parks will be filled, we need our park rangers! They assist in public safety and contribute toward the well being of our children, our citizens, uses such as baseball games, swimming pools, fishing ponds, the cemetaries, crime and drug users.Libraries will need to satisfy the needs of a growing, knowledgable community thirsty for information and the latest technology, academics, children’s programs. We are a smarter, faster, generation that will not be satisfied with leisure days, especially the baby boomer’s that will continue to be an energetic vital part of our community.Two ways to ensure our future, be able to rely on a balanced budget, and provide the means for strategic planning, is to vote yes on the two measures before us on May 16. A sales tax increase - YES. A primary property tax increase - YES. Even when both pass, it won’t bring the city up to where it needs to be, but it will be the beginning to pave the way.I want to be able to count on reliable, timely, public safety measures meeting the quota to respond to our citizens now and as we grow, a guarantee that we will be increasing up to at least 150,000 MORE people in Mesa. The population increase will maintain its place, but it won’t take us out of the red.

If you lease property from the city, can you express you political views while on that leased property?How about if you work for the city, can you express your views while employed by the city even though you do it on your own time? What if you disclose your position and title with the city, does that make a difference?Yesterday (Monday), There was a very large gathering of people expressing their opinion about immigration. Many of those who participated in that gathering may have been undocumented immigrants. What about in that case.Are there boundaries and/or guidelines we all must follow when expressing our views, and can we exress them regardless of where and who we are? There will be decisions made that will affect us all in the near future and people expressing their opinion can affect the outcome of these decisions.