Bloated Budgets Drive Oro Valley's Thirst For More Taxes From You
John Musolf: August 8, 2007
The underlying reason for Oro Valley to even consider a property tax is directly related to its bloated budget, driven by a budgeting process that is, simply, blatantly flawed. I know. I sat in on the entire budgeting process. The budget is flawed in at least three respects that I will explore in this posting.
One major element missing from Oro Valley’s budgeting process is cost justification. The Oro Valley budgeting process perpetuates the status quo or increases it. It ignores economic conditions. It does not research whether things such as increased productivity have reduced the need for something like increased labor (personnel). Or whether a department can operate in a more efficient manner.
Another major element missing is cost justification [of spending]. It ignores economic conditions. It does not require research on whether things such as increased productivity has reduced or could reduce the need for labor (personnel).A "Fiscal Impact Analysis Budget Modee", for example, would allow managers to consider and evaluate a level of spending lower than the current operating level, giving decision-makers the choice of eliminating an activity or the ability to choose from a selection of levels of effort .
Because of the lack of cost justification and all departments “bargaining” for their “fair share” of the budget it became necessary for the Finance and Bond Committee to prioritize or rank those activities that are most important to running the government and research ways to control those expenditures. And they got their priorities wrong!
The financial sustainability plan is really an attempt to find a large new revenue source (example: property tax) to cover the increased expenditures for the government. I have seen no attempt to try and control or reduce proposed expenditures prior to seeking a new revenue source.
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