Maybe now is a good time for a redefinition of essential services ...
Cops, firemen, lights, trash, etc. are essential.
Parks, libraries, etc. are NOT.
Education ... debatable.
If the localities in this country provided only essential services ... we’d be a lot better off.
SnakeDoc
Your opinions on what is "essential" mark you as a fellow who may well have rooted for Potter over Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life.... As it happens, your knowledge of Colorado Springs is somewhat lacking.
Cops, firemen, lights, trash, etc. are essential.
Cops, firemen, etc. I agree. However, trash pickup is done by private companies -- there has been no municipal trash service in Colorado Springs for many decades: it is clearly not an essential government function, though the government has a vested interest in ensuring that trash gets collected somehow.
Parks, libraries, etc. are NOT.
Parks are an essential part of any livable city.
Ben Franklin and a long line of others would reject your characterization of whether or not libraries are essential. But as it happens, the Pikes Peak Library district is not part of the city government and therefore not at issue in this discussion. It's a separate organization, paid for by its own tax district. It is very well-run.
Education ... debatable.
I'd suggest you take up the question of public education with Mr. Jefferson, who favored it. And, as it happens, the Colorado Springs area school districts (there are several) are also not paid for out of the Colorado Springs city budget.