The area is losing jobs and wealth. Double whammy of fed cutbacks and policies that are uncompetitive. Many office buildings are converting to housing and few new ones get built. Revenue has been squeezed a bit. Public school enrollment is down significantly.

Progressive proposed budget: 3+ % increase in local income tax rate (3.1 to 3.2%). Approx 6% increase in property tax rate on top of recent gains in appraised value. Full funding of school system's request. Many new initiatives.

Text includes comment that employment is down to flat, so we need to increase taxes to make up for it and to fund new things.

These people are divorced from reality. They have no concept that the drivers of prosperity that they assume will run indefinitely are low on fuel.

Everything they do is "essential services."