Rather than supporting community workshops to discuss service priorities and how many and more or less dollars will be needed to support future city services and staff, this paper’s news article on budget deficits and tax increases focused on the city’s position that revenues are not keeping pace with expenditures. So the city must have more money from us in taxes and fees or it will cut staff and thus services.
I find it ironic that in the news article, Finance Director Nguyen told the council that utility taxes are less volatile than sales taxes because they’re based on necessity items that residents require regardless of economic conditions.
Can our residents afford those items with the burden of additional taxes and fees? It is regrettable that at least three members on the council dais have no experience managing city budget challenges and may well just follow the recommendation of the city manager for revenue options.
In the news article, Finance Director Nguyen said, “Will you be willing to support this through a utility tax or sales tax, or will you rather sacrifice services as opposed to raising taxes?” I look forward to the opportunity to say those are not the only choices.
And I appreciated the letter on the news article from Karen Fitch on June 24 where she gave specific “It’s fair to ask” questions: Why are we giving away? How do we justify it?
In the recent Morgan Hill Times editorial, after repeating the city’s position, the editorial goes on to suggest other options besides raising taxes or cutting jobs.
If we were to have community workshops, I would propose looking at the definition of public safety. Many in our city think that means only police and fire (what I call Hard Power Public Safety). And public safety always tops the list of important priorities in Morgan Hill.
So do we cut the city’s Parks and Recreation budget in order to save police officer positions? Maybe not.
Some of us believe that there is also Soft Power Public Safety. Everything is interconnected (when it comes to public safety). Recreation programs have long been seen as a proactive way of reducing the potential for future crime.
Well-maintained streets reduce accidents and therefore are part of the city’s public safety effort. Well-maintained sidewalks reduce accidents and when free of graffiti and litter increase the feeling of safety and so encourage our residents to venture out of their homes.
The library is critical in helping some adults gain literacy skills which in turn helps prevent future crime. Addressing homeless issues helps reduce crime problems.
In the recent editorial, some of the above were labeled “Seemingly innocuous programs, but vital to a community’s quality of life.”
So the city administration and council have at least three concepts for community workshops.
Doug Muirhead
Morgan Hill
But what about Engage MH , advertised in 2019 as a perfect chance to “learn how the City really runs”. Strangely, at first, was seeing in attendance some long-time political operatives who apparently never knew what they were doing or forgot. But it quickly became obvious the City-sponsored group was recruited to be fed the company line on taxes including things like Edith Ramirez telling the group that they needed to support “two hotels, just right for MH”, that was nothing but a way for developers to get land on the cheap, because the opponents operated hotels where you wouldn’t want your mother to sleep. And Just Making It Up, no matter how sleezy was, in fact, a perfect example of how the City “really runs “.
Lo and behold when the pandemic waylaid the plans to ask residents to approve more taxes, all the scripted sales pitches that came from
all the ‘education’ were put in the trash and the Engage MH group was dumped like a hot potato.
Let’s not waste more taxpayer money with a cute little phone app that supposedly puts the tough decisions in residents hands. No need for trained cheerleaders pitching FALSE CHOICES.
Residents aren’t going to get anything even remotely close to how the City runs or why there is a gaping budget deficit that is a LOT more than $4M per year as long as the pitch is coming from the same people who want to keep doing what they’ve been doing- including giving themselves skyrocketing wage increases no matter what the format or how many meetings they host.
Ya wanna know how the City really runs?
Go look at the May / June 2024 City Council budget meeting archives when the current budget was championed that just assumed residents would approve new taxes. Read the City Staff and public comments. Watch how the Mayor did everything possible to cut off any serious discussion including additional funding for police officers which he argued they “could figure out later”. You will see FOR YOURSELF, with your own eyes how “the City really runs”!