Dubuque IA Press
Our opinion: Casting a no vote easy, cutting the budget hard
Jan 8, 2018If there was any doubt that change is in the wind around the Dubuque City Council table, Monday night's meeting laid that to rest.
When City Manager Mike Van Milligen presented his initial budget recommendation, which called for a property tax increase, he didn't get the 7-0 vote that he often had in the past. He didn't even get a 6-1 vote. Council members rejected Van Milligen's recommendation on 4-3 vote and sent city staffers back to the drawing board to reduce the amount of projected tax increase.
It's not that council members aren't buying the reasons Van Milligen outlined: Rising health care costs and a state property tax rollback are genuine issues. However, a majority of the council believes the city could work harder to control other operating expenses, not increase taxes.
Monday's vote should not have been a huge surprise to anyone who noted the results of the council election in November 2015. Luis Del Toro and Jake Rios handily ousted incumbents after campaigning on the need for greater fiscal restraint. Del Toro and Rios delivered ... http://www.thonline.com/news/opinion/article_d1a0f1c7-894e-5d6f-96e5-f926757c22c7.html