Once again the City of Tucson is hoping to annex tax revenues while dodging pesky new voters that may not support the status quo. City of Tucson leaders, which govern the sixth poorest metropolitan area in the country, are hoping to carve out 48 acres stock full of big tax generators and that includes eight homes according to Inside Tucson Business.
The area includes car dealerships at 775 W. Wetmore Road, 831 W. Wetmore Road; 855 W. Wetmore Road; 900 W. Auto Mall Drive; and 1000 W. Wetmore Road.
According to the Inside Tucson Business article, “While city documents describing the plan euphemistically say the annexation would “level the playing field” between the auto dealerships in the Tucson Auto Mall, where city sales taxes apply, and those south of Wetmore where taxes don’t, Mayor Jonathan Rothschild was more direct.”
Rothschild told the magazine that the “sales tax revenue that would come over time would be a really big help.”
The City has systematically set about to annex areas that have few potential voters, but could provide sales tax revenue. As a result of the City’s “business unfriendly” reputation, fewer and fewer new businesses are locating here, and revenue must be found somewhere to cover the City’s growing costs.
Earlier this month, a Tucson radio talk show host proposed offering the City Council to Hollywood to solve the community’s budget woes. “Since Tucson pops up in the national stage time and time again for its stupidity, why not make a buck off it and convert the pothole pools back to streets?” James T. Harris asked his listening audience.
Harris says he was inspired by a recent move by the City Council to cut away from coverage of the Call to the Audience portion of the public council meeting, and a suggestion by Tucson businessman Roger Score. Score had suggested creating a reality television program featuring the Tucson Council as a way to fund the nearly bankrupt city.
Harris says that, “as a fiscal conservative, it would be great if the city council members stepped up to raise money and didn’t look to the feds to bail us out. All they would have to do is let a camera follow them around! The good people of this area deserve a council that does something useful. All of the politician’s stupidity provides the perfect plotline, and the scenery is a spectacular backdrop for America’s next big hit.”
The City is expected to be bankrupt by 2015.