SAL SERIES
Hold
Onto Your Hat...And Wallet
SA
City Budget Out Of Control
CA Stubbs, SAL Commentary
The
following is a 23 year Trend Chart which shows the
grave disparity that exists between SA City Budgets
versus Cost Of Living (CPI), and Population Growth.
The
City percentage budget growth has exceeded CPI +
population growth by 2.56 times, while Federal budget
growth grew 1.74 times faster than CPI + population
growth.
The total of 1981 through 2003 budgets were
$18,576,480,000. If the 1980 base year budget
of $246.9 million had grown in step with CPI and
population growth, the total budgets would have been
$11,184,300,000.
Consequently, an excess in budgeting of
$7,392,180,000 has been imposed on citizens.
This bloat factor is the base for future
budgets.
This is not a pretty picture and the people of San
Antonio deserve and expect better treatment than this
as the 2003/2004 City Budget is developed.
Accordingly, the greatest service you can render is
to demand the City launch an aggressive effort to
reduce the bloat that has accumulated over the past
23 years.
-Developing-
Previous stories archived below
* * *
6,601,378,949 Reasons
You Had Better Read This!
CA Stubbs, SAL Commentary
Never before has anyone
published the budget trends for all of the below
listed tax and use fee jurisdictions.
Mayor
& Council - SA
City Public Service
San Antonio Water System
VIA Metro Transit
Alamo Hts. ISD
East Central ISD
Edgewood ISD
Harlandale ISD
Judson ISD
North East ISD |
County
Judge & Commissioners
Alamo Community College Dist.
University Health System
San Antonio River Authority
North Side ISD
San Antonio ISD
Somerset ISD
South San ISD
South Side ISD
South West ISD |
To correct this oversight I have
compiled over 20 years of trends to show the grave
disparity between the rapid growth of budgets versus
the snails pace growth of Cost Of Living (CPI) and
Population Increases.
The total bottom line budgets provided to me by all
of these outfits for 2002/2003 is $6,601,378,949, or
32.2% higher than in 1997/1998, far exceeding CPI
& population growth. With appraisal
increases, employee union demands, contrived budget
shortfalls, and God knows what else, 2004 looks like
another year of devastation for overburdened
taxpayers. It doesn't matter whether the $6.6 +
billion is from taxes, use fees, or government
grants.
It all had to first come from
our pockets, thus, we refuse to talk about taxes
alone, rather, we look at the bottom line of money
taken from us for all purposes.
In general we all look at the Federal Government as
having the worst of all budget and spending
records. Well, you are going to be surprised to
see that most local records are far worse than the
Federal Government. (Federal Government Budget
Increase 1980 through 2003, 260% versus 124% for CPI,
and 25% for Population.)
During this series, I will post Trend Charts and/or
reports on all 20 of the above jurisdictions to
further amplify the contribution theses organizations
and functions make to the overall burden. Only
in this fashion I feel, will you have a grasp of the
bottom line severity of the onerous burdens we carry.
Please, entities in question, don't fuss at me if
your figures are not to your liking. They have
all been extracted from official records and freedom
of information reports provided me. Some
jurisdictions have asked me to discontinue showing
the portion of budgets provided by fees, grants,
etc. Rather, they suggest that I should only
show what comes from taxes.
This I will not do, for the
bottom line Total Funds Budgets must come from
citizen pockets and it is only fair and right to show
all dollars regardless of source that pass through
the hands of tax and use fee jurisdictions.
THIS TABLE REVEALS THE
DEVASTATING DISPARITY BETWEEN BUDGET GROWTH
VERSUS CPI & POPULATION GROWTH (Source:
Freedom Of Info Reports)
As you review this report and
subsequent Charts, I ask that officials begin an
immediate process of cutting bottom line budgeting
and spending to levels of our ability to pay as
dictated by the CPI and Population rates of growth.
The first Chart I will show you will be for the City
of San Antonio, because it represents 85% of the
County Population. Its size and power base,
accept it or not, largely dictates the growth of
budgets of the other 19 jurisdictions which in total
amount to over $6.6 billion. Charts and/or
Reports on the other 19 jurisdictions will be
provided very shortly. You will find them
enlightening.
I will share these reports and Charts with Political,
Media, Other State Organizations, and particularly
with National Organizations like Citizens Against
Government Waste, National Taxpayers Union, Citizens
For A Sound Economy, Tax Foundation, and Americans
For Tax Reform.
Please, please, urge the powers that be to do all in
their power to curb this rate of budget growth that
threatens our very existence as taxpayers. And
be sure to watch for the 20 Charts and reports which
will be released shortly.
Email: TAXWATCHER@AOL.COM
Tel: 210-433-1920
Fax: 210-433-4002
(Editor's Note: Besides being a
columnist for the San Antonio Lightning, CA Stubs is
also:
State Chair Emeritus, Citizens Against Gov. Waste
Founder & Former Pres. Homeowner Taxpayer Assn.
Former President of Texas Assn. Of Concerned
Taxpayers.
Member & Supporter of: National Taxpayers Union,
Citizens For A Sound Economy, Tax Foundation, &
Citizens Against Government Waste )
