David Brauer wrote:
This is really a bit misleading and just one way in which numbers can be turned to almost any advantage. The budget for police over the next 5 years (2003-2008) will INCREASE by about $18 million dollars. They will actually receive a 3.6% average annual increase in their budget.The details are grim...greatly reduced community-development funds, a 23 percent cut to the cops,
They WILL be 23% of the solution - meaning the city has to find $55 million in cuts over the next 5 years and the police will be 23% of that amount.
Jim Graham wrote:
I (Jim Graham) answered RT that thisA referendum on whether or not to raise taxes in Minneapolis for NRP would be a BIG mistake. First of all it would lose. Taxes are already going up anywhere from 8% to 13% (er, what's inflation again?). Numbers presented on Saturday showed that to raise $20 million for NRP would increase taxes something over 25%! This would also absolutely kill NRP as it would turn out to be a referendum not on a tax increase but on NRP itself.
debate had already been engaged in and was over. The debate took place
before the last election. ... snip... The Mayor and several candidates for City Council won on the basis of these commitments to keep NRP intact and promises to find the funding for it. We gave money, support, and votes on the basis of those commitments. It is NOT up for debate about funding NRP; it is up to those making the
commitment to find the funds. That the taxpayers of Minneapolis should have
a referendum on where and what they would be willing to see tax increases
for. The Mayor said he would oppose such a referendum. (The Mayor and City
Council Members do not trust the people to spend the people's tax dollars in
the places the politicians think are important I guess.)
We have to remember that though some of us could easily bear a large tax increase many people simply cannot. There are people on fixed incomes that have lived in their homes or neighborhoods for 50+ years, but these kinds of tax increases would simply force them out. Affordable housing is already a huge issue. This would simply make a bad situation even worse.
Paul Lohman
Lynnhurst
Paul Lohman
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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