Viewpoint: Councilman concerned with city debt, taxes

Bob Campbell

Wednesday's budget presentation by Mayor Davis can be characterized in many ways, but "boring" isn't one of them.

Under this proposed budget, our structural deficit will continue to grow by over a million dollars, while simultaneously it asks taxpayers of the city of Missoula to fork over another 3.8% in their property taxes. In an attempt to square the circle, there is also a proposal to once again use Missoula Redevelopment Agency TIF Remittance in the amount of $2.5 million dollars.

The situation the city finds itself in fiscally, didn't happen overnight. It is the result of several years of mismanagement - city involvement with real estate and land banking, street projects that nobody wants (downtown SAM) costing millions more than anticipated, sweetheart TIF deals to private developers (Modtown Commons). Most of all, the uncontrolled and unmitigated growth of local government itself. It's clearly unsustainable.

As budget deliberations continue, we need to have serious conversations about the role of local government in people's everyday lives, starting with creating conditions that allow people to continue to live in Missoula, rather than being forced from their homes or apartments, because they've experienced increased taxes and rents.

I look forward to these conversations with my colleagues.

Bob Campbell represents Ward 5 on the Missoula City Council.