Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Town Spending Grows !

The Estes Parkian print edition is moving like pancakes at a flapjack fundraiser. The Estes Parkian still has more to distribute. If you are ready and willing to help distribute this monument to journalism, send an email with contact info to estesparkian "at" yahoo (dot) com. Walking your neighborhood is good exercise and good distribution of essential news. Here's a small taste of the print edition:



Town Spending Grows, Despite Official Spin

Town officials told residents that general fund spending is “generally flat.” But the numbers tell a different story.

The Estes Parkian has long sounded the alarm about Town budget habits. The Town model is simple: increase taxes or fees and then lose responsibility for services. The result is higher spending that will benefit Town staff at the expense of taxpayers. For 2010, Town staff assured us that general fund spending is “essentially” flat. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Estes Parkian calculates that general fund spending increased over 9 percent over the last two years.


The crack army of researchers here at the Estes Parkian did our homework by reviewing the 2010 budget. Here is what we found. There are seventeen accounts that comprise the general fund. The general fund also includes seven transfer/contingency funds. Town Hall says the spending is “generally flat,” but in 2008, the 17 accounts were budgeted for $7,591,637. For 2010, the figure is $8,293,324, 9.2% higher than the 2008 budget. That’s a pretty hefty increase in the middle of a recession with declining revenue.



... [Learn more in the print edition!]