Posted on 04/20/2020 9:31:39 AM PDT by abb
It’s budget season for Arizona cities and towns, and local leaders are scrambling to determine the impact the coronavirus will have on their spending plans in the next fiscal year.
One common problem they all face is a significant drop in state-shared revenues, according to Tom Belshe, executive director of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns
Those dollars, which are distributed by the state to incorporated cities and towns, make up a large share of local budgets. Cities get a portion of Arizona income taxes, sales taxes, gas taxes and the vehicle license tax you pay when registering your car with the state.
“The one that concerns cities and towns the most is not only the state share sales tax, but also local sales tax that is collected,” Belshe said. “And that's the revenue that we believe will be impacted the most.”
Cities everywhere are facing cuts — it’s just a matter of how deep they’ll be. Sales tax data from March, when Arizonans began to stay at home, won’t be available until May, meaning it’s impossible to measure the impact so far.
Belshe said the biggest concern for local leaders will be maintaining vital services like public safety.
“It’s one of the most important, if not the most important function that we have,” he said. “But when public safety comprises more than half of your budget, it's very difficult to make cuts of the significance that we're going to have with the kind of losses that we're anticipating without cutting public safety.”
Roughly 50% to 70% of city budgets are spent on public safety, Belshe said.
https://www.newspressnow.com/news/local_news/budget-cuts-loom-with-state-lawmakers-set-to-return/article_b36e637a-7ffd-11ea-8a16-2f4f194f6f6b.html
Budget cuts loom with Missouri state lawmakers set to return
The snowbirds are gone.
Now is the time to re-energize AZ and move forward.
...and get rid of the McCain Old Guard who have crippled the State for decades.
https://www.kcur.org/education/2020-04-20/umkc-looks-to-slash-budgets-by-nearly-18-to-weather-financial-fallout-from-covid-19
University of Missouri @ Kansas City Considers Layoffs, Furloughs And Hiring Freezes As It Tries To Weather COVID-19 Fallout
https://www.kosu.org/post/oklahoma-public-safety-agencies-plan-budget-cuts
Oklahoma Public Safety Agencies Plan For Budget Cuts
https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article242132206.html
‘This will be painful’ Gorton says Lexington, KY will have to cut $40 million from budget
“Arizona Cities, Towns Prepare For Dire Budget Season”
Well then tell Ducey to go to phase 1 tomorrow.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/wesleywhistle/2020/04/20/the-coming-financial-crisis-for-colleges/#79f3f8434e68
The Coming Financial Crisis For Colleges
https://www.ajc.com/news/state—regional-govt—politics/report-budget-shortfall-may-top-billion-over-next-months/bCh9sdsuYVJupfCivsTDbJ/
Report: Ga. budget shortfall may top $4 billion over next 15 months
I guess it’s about time for Red for Ed to go on strike again.
IF the private sector can be laid off so can the public sector.
https://cnycentral.com/news/local/syracuse-university-loses-35m-due-to-pandemic-plans-pay-cuts-and-hiring-freeze
Syracuse University loses $35M due to pandemic, plans pay cuts and hiring freeze
https://www.insidenova.com/news/education/arlington-superintendent-cuts-budget-plan-offers-tiers-of-options/article_e09999d6-8300-11ea-bb74-d7df7d3779ad.html
Arlington, VA school superintendent cuts budget plan, offers ‘tiers’ of options
It’s REDS for Ed!
It was never about teachers but about union money.
We still have a lot of snowbirds not leaving for home yet. We are getting CA here as permanent residents here. I like summer here best when there’s no crowds anywhere. No so much anymore.
It’s simple, cut back and reduce the size of state government in every direction.
Simple.
Bingo...It's so simple and happens in the private sector daily.
Ropers and most of our snowbirds left. Unfortunately this shutdown cripples many of our local businesses. Many of us are pushing Gov Ducey to re-open but meeting opposition of the frightened and fearful.
Former CA resident - shocked to find many RINOs here.
Wow, who knew that if we shut down the entire productive economy but kept paying every useless bureaucrat ‘public servant’ that we would blow out our budget. /sarc
I called this “the moment the parasites realized they just killed the host” and I hope it totally destroys their industry of graft, corruption, and insider dealing.
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