The full text of Question 1 can be found here: QUESTION 1 FULL TEXT
The full text is also provided below for easy reference.
I am writing this blog after having received the City of Mesa General Election Publicity Pamphlet.
I have lived in Mesa for nearly 40 years and have raised my family here. I want to continue to see it safe and a great place to raise families---that is why I am asking you to join me in voting NO on Question 1!
I am surprised by all the heavy hitters who wrote arguments in favor of Question 1! I feel like I am swimming upstream against some of the most influential people in the City of Mesa. I agree we must have a strong Police and Fire Department and I am convinced both departments are understaffed and under equipped. That is exactly why I am asking you to vote "NO". Please consider the following.
Question 1 is a blank check for the City to use for whatever purposes whatsoever. There is no language that requires the City to spend the money that is collected for any of the purposes mentioned in Question 1 including for the Police and Fire. No, I do not trust current or future leaders to remember even what was said in question 1 in just a few months. Any money collected will simply go into the General Fund and will be used to fund the current City Council "pet" projects.
There is no fiscal analysis: If I am going to pay the City $38,000,000 per year for something, don't you think it is reasonable to ask the City to prepare a detailed fiscal analysis? In the first place the TP Tax is "pie in the sky" totally dependent on the economic cycles. So what happens when you hire a bunch of Police and Fire personnel or get 1/2 through a building project and you suddenly find out your income projections were all wrong? The police and fire suffer. The projects sit around 1/2 completed or you come to the voters for more money. The City could have done a much better job stating clearly the amounts that would go to each purpose and a reasonable estimate of what the "project" elements would cost.
The reality is the City Council wants a blank check for whatever purposes with no "Sunset" clause.
There is no urgency to pass Question 1. Tell the City to propose real solutions for the Police and Fire needs and let us vote on that. It is unfair to throw a bunch of ambiguous pet projects into language to most likely convince voters----ie Police and Fire.
There is no "Sunset" Clause: Even though City leaders imply most of the money will be used for the specific "projects" mentioned in Question 1, the wording of Question 1 is so vague and ambiguous that a you could drive a bus through the language. The scope of each of the Educational elements is totally unclear leaving it to future leaders to spend at will for whatever purposes including "other costs for government purposes". That means the money goes to the General Fund and cannot be traced.
Police and Fire needs are not solved by Question 1: The City fathers have neglected Police and Fire for a long time favoring "pet" down town projects over needed money for police and fire. Question 1 does not guarantee any percentage of collected money will go to Police and Fire. Rather it is a blank check for whatever purpose.
Higher Education is not the responsibility of the City: The purpose of our City government is not higher Education. It is primarily Police, Fire, and Infrastructure. There is no guarantee investing in an ASU Campus downtown will spur development. In fact in will probably hurt the existing campuses we do have. If ASU thinks this location is a viable alternative, let them fund it themselves. Some City leaders argue an ASU campus will help the poor uneducated in Mesa. That isn't true. The poor uneducated aren't qualified or even interested in attending a school they cannot afford; they are trying to put the next meal on the table. We already have multiple higher education opportunities.
THERE ARE TOO MANY ISSUES ROLLED INTO ONE ISSUE
The police and fire needs are very distinct and different from the Education and Civic Center Plaza issues, in my opinion. Question 1 wraps them all into one win-or-lose question. That isn't fair. We need the opportunity to express our opinion on what issue takes precedence and decide on each individual question. There is no compelling reason why Question 1 should be passed now. Let the City Council work on the wording, a fiscal analysis and go back to the voters later.
Click here for a report of the City of Mesa indebtedness: CITY OF MESA DEBT
10.6% of the City of Mesa operating budget 2016/17 will go to service the debt.
mesa.gov reports as of June 30, 2015, the City’s total outstanding bond debt was $1,543,935,961 ($1.5 Billion!) Much of the City debt is being paid as ‘interest only’ payments with balloon payments in a few years.
How much debt do I have right now living in Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona, United States?
United States of America: Click here => US DEBT CLOCK
as of 4 October 2016: Total US Debt is $19.5 Trillion Dollars = $60,217 per person in the US
AZ Debt is $54.7 Billion = $7,994 per person in Arizona
City of Mesa Debt: Click here: COM Debt June 2015 = $1.5 Billion = $3,389 per person
Total Debt = $71,600 per person, or $358,000 for a family of 5.
And that is the debt government admits to---it does not add in all the billions in other obligations.
And that is the debt government admits to---it does not add in all the billions in other obligations.
We are living in a relatively stable peaceful economy right now. Lets address the Police and Fire needs specifically, get rid of "pet" projects and attack our City debt with a vengeance.
Therefore, my opinion is: VOTE 'No' on Question 1
