Residents of St. Paul should be grateful. For the first time since taking office five years ago, Mayor Chris Coleman has presented a budget that does not call for a property tax hike.
Why the sudden benevolence? In the Star Tribune today, Coleman admitted that "times are tough," and that "too much of the cost of state government has been shifted onto the backs of local property taxpayers." (And to think a politician figured that out!)
Interestingly, Coleman's budget proposes no layoffs. Are we to understand that in this economic climate the city of St. Paul cannot afford to eliminate even one position from its $180 million payroll?
OK, if layoffs are out of the question, what about cutting salaries? Surely there are one or two of the many six-figure positions that could be scaled back a bit.
I can understand the mayor wanting to stay in the good graces of the public employee unions, but since when are government jobs untouchable? Why should those who live off private sector tax dollars be shielded from the sting of a global economic downturn?
Comments