By: Diane Benjamin
Tari talking points:
The big picture on the budget is that:
- 1) we are not doing anything that the city didn’t do three, four or five years ago
- 2) our revenues were flat and our costs keep going up a little over 2% each year
How much truth is in Tari’s statements?
From the 2013 Budget Book – page 18:
General Fund expenses in FY 2013 were $74,535,630.
General Fund expenses in FY 2016 are $94,553,780.
FY 2016 Adopted Budget Book 1 Page 19
Tari:
That’s in increase of $20,018,150 just since you became Mayor!
A 2% increase per year would still have the General Fund under $80,000,000.
Obviously the Revenues aren’t flat Tari, that $20,000,000 came from somewhere.
Maybe it’s from your tax increases:
- Amusement Tax
- Utilities Tax
- Garbage Fees
- Gas Tax
- Sales tax
It’s really hard to trust anything you propose Tari. STRETCHING the truth when the facts are easy to get isn’t a quality that installs trust by citizens.
Here are a few things Tari IS doing the City didn’t used to do: http://blnnews.com/2015/09/16/taxes-increases-would-be-easier-with-truth/
More Pinocchios Tari.
