Show I Too Much Need Too Little Revenue Budget requests of Salt Lake City departments for next year are reported more than a million dollars in excess of expected revenues This is of course nothing new But it does emphasize the major problem of municipal government government government govern govern- ment here and almost everywhere else in th this country countr which is inadequate fi fi- fi- fi nances Federal and state stale governments have practically unlimited power to increase revenue to meet spending needs The only control is public pressure against excessive spending and excessive taxa tax I- I tion County g governments v have changed little from the horse buggy horse and buggy days and old methods of financing in most cases still prove adequate But cities which have mu mushroomed in all di directions e ions and in every fashion in the last half hall century or so SQ find their financial capacities not keep keeping ng pace with their governmental service responsibilities City life has ll's become constantly more complex with more and more demands for municipal service to meet the challenges challenges challenges chal chal- lenges of modern society The automobile has brought the need for paved streets Paved streets have added to the problem of storm water runoff Modern 1 plumbing greatly increases increases increases in in- creases the sewage disposal l problem Crime and misconduct of all kinds moves 10 times as fast and as far as it did in inthe inthe inthe the mobile era era and and police activity activity activity ac ac- ac- ac has to keep pace Big buildings and apartments change the problem of or fire protection and a expand constantly ing city cily requires fire department en en- t. t We Ve want provided city-provided swimming pools golf courses tennis courts and recreation programs We Ve need a municipal airport Demand for water for culinary sprinkling and in industrial industrial industrial in- in purposes steadily increases requiring requiring requiring re re- re- re quiring multimillion dollar doUar municipal water supply projects While Thile there has been all this in increased increased increased in- in creased need for municipal l services of many kinds there has bas been only limited increase in municipal capacity to finance those services Cities are circumscribed by state law generally in their revenue- revenue raising powers The result has been a const constant mt scratching for funds and an almost constant lack Jack of capacity to do doall doall doall all the things a city should do to keep pace with its growth and modern ress We Ve do not mean to 10 say that all city expenditures are essential or that there is per cent efficiency in municipal operation The government which operates operates oper oper- ates Ites without waste and needless political spending has never been constituted i and probably never will be But the main trouble is not nol wasteful expenditure It is too much need and too little revenue Look at the Salt Lake City 1952 budget picture The whole extra million dollars can be accounted for by two projects to build storm sewers and install new water mains And we need both badly We Ve also need a number of new fire stations new fire equipment and anda a new fire alarm system Any motorist will tell teIl you that we need a whole flock of street improvements And recent uproar uproar uproar up up- roar over the question of juvenile misconduct misconduct misconduct mis mis- conduct hoodlumism and molestation I cases has focused public attention on the I need for expanding our police depart depart- ment Nor does that complete the list of municipal needs by hy any means We Ve ought to have a new library We Ve could use a municipal auditorium We e need needa a new city jail Improvements to our sewer system and construction of a sewage treatment plant are imperative There is a new park project coming corning up on the site of the old Sugar House I I prison and talk of another golf gol course I o and more swimming pools Its It's a real problem of municipal administration ad ad- ministration ministration-a a real headache for our city officials We Ve do not know that the answer is to remove the restrictions on municipal revenue raising Somewhere we have to draw the line on higher and higher taxation But it is well for the people to recognize the difficulties of municipal administration and municipal finance Running Salt Lake or any other city just isn't a bed of roses these days |