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.
“IF the private sector can be laid off so can the public sector.”
It may take a revolution for that to happen.
Our ‘suburb’, too. The grocery stores are still depleted of tp, paper towels, napkins etc, by 7:30AM. It’s embarrassing to think that my fellow Seniors are still hoarding the paper products. I have half a mind to take post-it notes with GO HOME written on them and put them on the driver’s side of the windshield. I am fed up with seeing so many Illinoisans, Iowans, Missourians, Michiganders, Minnesotans, New Yorkers, N Dakotans, S Dakotans, Alaskans, Coloradans, and even Texans here. I want to scream ‘go home and deplete the stores where you live most of the year‘!
Although swelteringly hot, summer will be a nice break from all the people. Rant over.
As a Arizona County Supervisor, we’re going to be fine. I am so tired of this “24/7 Doom and Gloom”
https://thedailyrecord.com/2020/04/20/md-universities-brace-for-pandemic-budget-cuts/
Maryland universities brace for pandemic budget cuts
‘As a Arizona County Supervisor, we’re going to be fine.”
Are you referring to your county or to the state in general? (I’m a Phoenix resident).
My County. Phoenix is a WHOLE different animal.
Thanks. I might have to move :)
Mohave County is arguably the most Conservative County in Arizona, if not the whole of Southwest. We went for Trump by 78%. State and Federal politicians call us the “BIG RED WALL.” :)
South of Tucson and summer is my favorite season. Hell’s heat beats New York & California invaders. At least some of them!
RINOS kept McCain in office. University Hospital here in Tucson just laid off 60 nurses now that they don’t need the extras. My friend is an ER nurse and got furloughed last week. No more rush for the virus now. Open up the surgery sections for elective surgeries now that keep them in business.
I call summer Arizona’s best kept secret. I want exactly what you want too. I haven’t seen tp or paper towels or sanitizers in Frys for at least 2 months now. I’m so tired of snowbirds here too.
Mine too no traffic backups, no lines anywhere.
Hi Hildy,
I live in your district and I agree with you. No more doom and gloom. Let’s get back to work!
Where do you live? In BHC?
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