Santa Barbara needs to live within its income not tax to live up to its desires!
I believe that raising or introducing new taxes in this economy is counter productive. We all have to make ends meet with less money. Two of the most significant problems city officials must address are pay and fringe benefits. With a projected multimillion dollar shortfall on the horizon and an emergency fund nearing exhaustion it's just a matter of time before all employees, and that includes supervisors and department heads, will need to make further concessions. I propose an immediate twenty percent reduction in Council remuneration. By taking the lead it will be more palatable to the remainder of the city staff when we approach them for the aforementioned concessions. We can't forget or ignore the pension dilemma. I see no way our city can support a defined benefits plan. Safe investment income is way too low for such a program. Furthermore, the practice of closing down city services one or more days a month has no merit. We need, and deserve, a full time governmental body!
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