Using current budget assumptions, and assuming the sales tax increase passes but the property tax proposal fails, it is only necessary to cut $8-9 million in order to balance Mesa’s budget. Here is how we can cut $9 million without touching police, fire, courts, prosecutors, parks, recreation programs, libraries, the arts center, the museums, neighborhood outreach, economic development, code compliance, building safety, planning and/or zoning.

In order to balance Mesa’s budget using only current revenue sources, supplemented with the sale of the Pinal County Water Farm to pay for some outstanding bonds and a secondary property tax to pay for future capital project bonds, but  if and only if  approved by the voters, we need to make $24-$25 million in cuts. Here is how we can cut $24.6 million without touching police, fire, courts, prosecutors, parks, recreation programs, libraries, code compliance, building safety, planning and/or zoning.