The City of St. Paul is facing a grim $17 million budget deficit, which will likely cause significant property tax increases in 2008. Mayor Chris Coleman didn't get the city into this position, but he faces the unenviable task of leading the city out.It's the classic GOP Set-up. Freeze public investment and cut to the bone until things are so bad that they are jacked out of office. Then when someone who comes in who is truly fiscally responsible, they get gutted for making the tough decisions.
While no one likes property tax increases, Mayor Chris Coleman deserves credit for having the courage to address squarely the difficult fiscal problems that were not of his making. All the anti-tax rhetoric in the world won’t paper over inflation and the reality that state aid reductions shift the cost of public services to local property taxpayers.It's no wonder this fiscally conservative moderate keeps hitting a brick wall in the middle of his transition to the Right. I actually care about the community and will accept my portion of the burden to keep our city safe and clean.
Flash
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