It May Look Nice – But You're Property Taxes are Paying For it

 Hopefully, we’re all familiar with the concept of local government spending some of their budget on city improvements.  Standard road repairs, new school facilities, parks, and electrical systems are all typical projects that could warrant money from a government budget.  Similarly, government buildings and municipal facilities are a priority when making city-wide improvements.  While it is certainly expected that the government would spend enough money to allow themselves adequate work space, recent trends suggest that government remodeling projects are coming at the expense of tax payers.

 New government facilities are being built to be sturdier than before, more impressive than before, and of an over-all higher standard.  These buildings can certainly be breathtaking, encouraging passers-by to turn their heads in recognition.  This higher building standard could be due to excess revenue in the budget that was perceived to be expendable.  It’s not uncommon for a budgetary surplus to be used in such a manner, but what happens the next time monetary issues arise.  It’s not possible to go back in time and make different budgetary choices during construction, so local tax payers have to suffer the consequences of short sighted spending.

 When a government doesn’t have the money to function as normal, the natural consequence is raised taxes.  Unfortunately, when governments get into the habit of functioning with a high budget, property taxes increase to account for extra budgetary needs.  Local families and individuals, who are meant to be the beneficiaries of government projects, end up being burdened by high property tax rates.  The majority of us work hard, every day, in order to create and manage our own personal budgets, saving any excess earnings, and putting them aside to account for times of need.  Is it so unreasonable to expect the government to do the same?