Inside Mesa

The Mesa City Council voted recently to restructure some of the city’s debt payments which amount to millions over the life of bonds. I call this responsible government.Refinancing city bonds will actually level off the debt by adjusting payment periods or by getting better interest rates. According to Bryan Raines, Mesa’s financial service manager, restructuring some of the Mesa’s debt payments will save well over $1 million and level off the debt.Furthermore, according to city documents almost $2.7 million will be realized over the life of the bonds as reported by Sarah Lynch, East Valley Tribune.How can Mesan’s accuse city government of wasting money when the budget office is diligently looking for ways to find sources that will save money? Keep up the good work in looking for saving measures such as this and for keeping the community well informed of the relevant information that will hopefully dispel the notion of mistrust.

The Tribune editorial of June 13 carried a lot of truth on "Mesa’s budget grows along with city" along with Bryan Raines, Mesa’s Financial Manager’s commentary "Explaining increase in Mesa budget".The city in my opinion went all out to include citizens in the discussions surrounding Mesa’s dire circumstances and the reality of shortfalls that we as a community would face without a primary property tax that would help tremendously toward a better budget funded but not quite out of the "woods". Not many showed up at those meetings held in every district in the city, which is six. There was ample opportunity over many weeks to have your say, learn the facts, an opportunity to turn in your own "wish" list of what you would like to see funded. Pretty good way to educate Mesa’s citizenry.Even with the many times available people didn’t show up. The majority that voted down the property tax seems to me didn’t want to hear the truth. Why? It might bring home a conviction to actually pass the tax because we need it. From where I sit it seems more a point of pride in trying to get along without the tax with a false rhetoric that we as a city don’t need the tax, keep the money for ourselves and let others pay for services that are now cut. Cut from our very own lists of priorities perhaps believing it won’t happen.What I don’t understand is why the finger is always pointed at the current council - oh, but what a minute - if the finger is pointed to the council it takes the heat off those that cannot accept the responsibility of not measuring up to funding a city that is what it is because of the growth and providing the important things that make our city great and what people, family, and business’ look for when buying into a community.The council has done an extraodinary job along with city staff in spending wisely, providing programs, drawing attention across our nation that bring recognition to Mesa through awards for excellent work worthy of citizens applause not discouraging remarks. As Bryan Raines points out the new financial reporting requirements cause a redundancy in dollars that amount to $43 million of the $120 million increase in Mesa’s budget. Another ongoing expense will be salaries. Why there are those that don’t realize that city employees are not slaves of government and deserve salary increases including pension increases required by the state, is unimaginable. Bryan also tells us financial stability and improving Mesa’s bond rating includes setting aside funds for future debt payments. Mesa’s budget and shortfalls will continue to have a need to be addressed. I do agree with Bryan’s view and trust his first hand knowledge that the city exercises sound fiscal management polices and appropriate accountability of public resources. He spoke several times during the district budget meetings and may have made a difference to you had you been there to hear all that we as a city face.To make up for some of the funds needed we most likely will see increased fees, increased utility rates, and some of the services you may have thought would not be touched like seniors using dial-a-ride - which the city has graciously sponsored - it now may be used only for the disabled as intended but not without other means that are in place to get a ride, we just have to learn to use them. I don’t think we’ve gained anything by voting down the primary property tax because we’ll pay in other ways; it’s only taken away many of those services taken for granted and from those typically compromised, those that need assistance, programs that are valuable for families, city employees that have protected us in our parks and schools - and as we grow that $1 Billion city budget is just over the horizon. The explaination that many can’t afford a primary property tax doesn’t hold water, especially since the Governor has come up with tax breaks for the coming year.

The older I get the more I have learned about life and the more I have learned how to say that I am sorry and I may have been wrong. Information is key in the decision making process and too much information is never a bad thing. Here in Mesa we have just gone through a rough patch where residents were pitted one against the other as the city fought over an ever inflating budget, a proposed property tax and what the city council has portrayed as dwindling revenue in the face of massive expenditures. The city council has claimed that they have cut every conceivable expense from the budget and the only answer to rising costs was the need to implement a property tax. This is where I have to step in and state that I may have been wrong. I supported the property tax, armed with what I thought were facts I wandered out into the world and attempted to sway voters into voting "Yes", that this city was in desperate need of increasing revenue to shore up some of the essential services that were threatened. It has come to my attention that one area the city council didn’t cut was one of their precious little perks, car allowances for the political elite. To the tune of over $200,000 a year they have kept that little benefit while wailing in public about the cutbacks that will have to be made in services and staff. What else have they failed to cut? How many of you get a car allowance for your job? Tough times require a sacrifice for all, with gas prices at an all time high and with no end in sight to the pain at the pump we are all experiencing why are the politically elite among us getting a break while we have to budget in our lives to compensate? Which essential services and staff members could have been saved if only those who were connected stepped up and sacrificed what amounts to a bonus for them? The lesson I have learned here is that politicians today are like "Chicken Little" from the children’s book, they run around screaming about the sky falling. I have said it before and I will say it again, government at any level is not a money making body, they are a money taking entity and it is up top all of us to make sure they don’t take it all.

Lisha Garcia resigned today from her position as Manager, Deparment of Neighborhood Services for the City of Mesa. There have been other opportunities come her way she wants to explore.Lisha has seen several successful accomplishments by the department the last two years and complimented the Division Directors of Neighborhood Services for their excellent work. Ms. Garcia stated "I leave the department with good leadership, a strategic plan for moving forward and a successful transition to Activity Based Budgeting." I’m certain her service to the City of Mesa served us well and provided a purpose through her dedication to the community; and as Deputy City Manager Paul Wenbert commented, "I appreciated Lisha’s commitment and passion to providing the best possible services in a time of reduced federal and local resources".There are many good people working in the City of Mesa and I hope in particular that the Department of Neighborhood Services has a time of renewal for everyone concerned. It was also a great loss when Debbie Driscoll resigned as she too was appreciated by so many.My thoughts and prayers are with each one and with the city - as a whole new season is approaching within our neighborhoods, may it bring about a refreshing time of victory in our new budget year.