BCC 7/20 - Mike Jones

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July 21, 2010

I am Mike Jones, President and CEO of the Economic Council.

Our organization has consistently advocated trimming government expenses in response to declining tax revenues. We have also engaged independent consultants that have confirmed that our County’s competitiveness could be enhanced by more genuine public-private partnerships and collaboration to share scarce resources. During these difficult economic conditions, the public and private sectors are all doing more with less and taking extraordinary steps to maximize efficiencies. It is important to avoid the temptation of looking back to place fault and blame for our current dire circumstances. Instead, we encourage the public and private sectors work collaboratively and proactively to ensure our community and all its citizens equitably share in the sacrifices as we strive for smart solutions. We discourage increasing the millage rate, fees or assessments unless and until all other options have first been thoroughly explored.

We encourage you to consider all tools at your disposal to make local government more efficient and productive. We are prepared to work with your staff, the constitutional officers, the Taxpayer Action Board and any other interested citizens to realize meaningful savings without sacrificing essential services.