Preliminary Budget

The 2007 Preliminary Budget was handed out to City Council Members on Friday. This document is put together by City staff and is the basis for the Council work sessions.

I am quite disappointed by this preliminary budget. Many of the structural request I had made to show the true cost of City operations are not reflected.

My greater disappointment however is in the proposed 11.86% increase in the City Property Tax Levy. This is wholly unacceptable. Several key points need to be made as to why we are at this point.

A 19% reduction in licenses and fees has been estimated due to the slow down in the housing market. A 30% increase in City General Obligation Bonds..I.E. City debt and the increase cost of operating City Hall are just a few of the many strains being made on Isanti's Tax Payers.

The amount of debt Isanti has accumulated to date makes any future bonding extremely difficult. We simply can not burden Isanti's Taxpayers with more debt until current obligations are paid off or the subsidized businesses generate more tax revenue. We can not continue with past failed policies.

I have been making the argument since 2004 when I first ran for City Council that the amounts being spent were NOT sustainable. I voted against last years budget which increased City spending by over 30%. This years budget increases by a further 10% on top of the last budget.

Isanti must curb its spending euphoria and reduce our property tax burden. This is but the first stage in the budgeting process. We must enforce a strict budgeting discipline at each stage of the process--- for if we do not we will never be able to pass an efficient budget. The final budget vote is conveniently after this falls election.

Elections matter. Perhaps this year Mayor Apitz, Council Member's Larson and Johnson will show greater spending restraint since it is an election year, we can only hope.


I will keep you posted each step of the way.