PROPOSITION PROGRESS
Considering the Joplin City Government’s budget is more than double the size of other cities throughout Missouri of similar size… even other cities like Bentonville, I find it incredibly concerning that they keep pushing for extensively bloated tax renewals that stretch for two years beyond a decade, which is an extremely long time before voters can demand or hold city officials accountable! Meanwhile, they are simultaneously pushing for massive property tax increases on citizens, just to pay for basic functions, when they should be in a financial situation to be calling for tax cuts to help citizens during this down economy!!!Regardless, Joplin Government says they don’t have enough tax dollars to pay our Police and Fire… or to maintain our parks and buildings like Memorial Hall or the Justice Center… or to even simply maintain our roads! However, in reality, none of their problems stem from our Joplin Government not getting enough tax dollars from citizens.. but are a result of their poor management of those dollars… BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT BEING EFFICIENT OR RESPONSIBLE WITH TAX DOLLARS… $181Million of your dollars!!Ultimately, the answer is for Joplin residents to force our city to be more responsible and efficient by VOTING NO on April 2nd to the Capital Improvement Sales Tax renewal! DEMAND THAT THEY STOP THE WASTE, OR WORSE… AND TELL THEM NO NEW OR RENEWED TAXES UNTIL AFTER THE CURRENT AUDIT by the Missouri State Auditor IS COMPLETE!
SPREAD THE WORD… VOTE NO ON the April 2nd CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT SALES TAX RENEWAL… aka “Proposition Progress”!
Did you know that Joplin Government spending has increased by almost $100 Million in 13 years, and they approved a $37 Million increase in spending for this budget year!
This year, the Joplin City Council has given their approval to city leaders for the highest level of Joplin City Government spending since the period immediately following the May 22, 2011 Joplin tornado.
Sadly, the spending by our city is now rising at an increasing speed to record levels. However, this time it is not due to a natural disaster, but instead by the will of our city leadership! In fact, before the tornado, in 2010, Joplin government expenditures were only at approximately $86 Million… Then, after the tornado in 2013, it jumped to $144 Million, with much of that increase due to the supplement of outside federal and state financial assistance. However, this year’s budget, topps out at a staggering $181 Million! (See graph below)… ALMOST DOUBLE THAT OF JOPLIN GOVERNMENTS PRE-TORNADO SPENDING… and an approximately $37 Million increase over our current year’s budget!
Additionally, with the now ongoing State Audit … An audit that our city leaders refused to request from the State… An audit that they clearly do not want, our Joplin City Government has expedited, and has moved up a vote by four months to April 2’nd for yet a third renewal of the Capital Improvement Sales Tax, which our City Manager Nick Edwards stated to the Council that he wanted it moved to April, because should the vote fail to pass the muster of our citizenry, it would give the city another chance to try and get the tax passed on August 6th!
Citizens are sick and tired of our city leadership pushing tax… after tax… after tax… after tax… after tax, with little to show for it in regards to protecting and providing our citizenry with public safety, security, fiscal responsibility, or transparency!
MEANWHILE… WE HAVE LITTLE TO NO ACCOUNTABILITY OF HOW OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT! No follow through on promises of cleaning up our homelessness and panhandling problem! Promises not kept for full funding and strengthening our Police and Fire Departments, merely increasing pay ever-so-slightly, and as a last resort, because citizens force their hand!
Meanwhile, they stated last year that they had no money for Police and Fire raises, DEMANDING THE BIGGEST PROPERTY TAX UPON JOPLIN CITIZENS IN MISSOURI HISTORY if our citizens want Police and Fire funded! Then, immediately following its failure to pass the muster of our citizens, our Finance Department miraculously found MILLIONS for raises for our Police, our Fire, and two across the board raises for city employees… Sadly, most of that raise went to the top level Administration!
So much for the little guy! Is that how they win the trust of our citizens?
Our city leaders say that they need more of our citizens and businesses tax dollars in order to be able to fully fund government services like public safety… BUT THAT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE WHAT THE DC SWAMP KEEPS SAYING, AS OUR BUDGET BLOATS, AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE GETS DIMINISHED!
The Joplin Government leadership now wants more of our tax paying citizens and businesses hard-earned money, before ‘We the People’ even have a chance to get answers to the many fiscal concerns that the State Auditor is now examining, and ultimately presenting to our citizens.
WE NEED ANSWERS BEFORE ONE MORE CENT GETS SIPHONED OFF FROM OUR CITIZENS PAYCHECKS!
What is your opinion about their spending? Should we continue to give more and more money to the government, with little accountability? Shouldn’t our city be prioritizing our Police, Fire and emergecy services? Should Joplin Government be able to lump anything that they can under public safety, which takes away from cleaning up Joplin streets and parks of drugs, help homeless get off the streets and out of our parks, as well as the enforcement of pedestrian safety, including dangerous panhandling practices in and around busy intersections? Should the Capital Improvement Sales Tax be a never-ending tax placed upon our citizens, especially hurting the low income and elderly, who are on fixed incomes? Should we continue to increase taxes so the city can continue to increase spending, or should they better manage taxpayer dollars they have already been given the responsibility to manage? Should our city’s spending continue to be at levels on par with what spending was post- tornado, an increase by almost $100 Million taxpayer dollars, in just over 10 years, which is well over double what it was 13 years prior? A level that is making our area less affordable for our citizens… A level where we drive our elderly and poor out of their homes and into the streets, and/or onto welfare? Should we give city leaders a never ending blank check with little to no accountability? And finally, shouldn’t we wait to find out the results of the Missouri State Audit before the city government shoves another tax on our citizens and businesses?
I look forward to the findings of the Missouri State Auditor’s office, because the citizens of Joplin have an absolute right to know how their tax dollars are truly being spent! They have a right to know how their money is being managed, if it is being used correctly or abused, and whether or not their trust is being betrayed, and if our taxpayers financial resources are being safeguarded. We should demand that we have answers to these questions before we approve or renew any taxes that are placed upon an already heavily burdened citizenry!
It is time to say no to bloated taxes and VOTE NO ON OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT SALES TAX RENEWAL… AS A RESULT, IT GIVES OUR CITIZENS A TAX CUT!
HIGHLIGHTED PROMISED PROJECTS FROM THE LAST CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS TAX INITIATIVE BELOW… THE CITY FAILED TO EVEN START/COMPLETE
Brian Evans for Joplin 