The following is a guest column by Shane Pekny, a resident and home owner in Omaha.
Supporters of the mayoral recall have fueled the perception that City Hall’s spending is out of control. A chart in last Sunday’s World-Herald reinforced that notion by showing that nominal general fund expenses have increased almost every year since 1990.
That perception is false. Omaha is a growing city – of course our expenses have increased. We should look at spending in relation to population growth. And we should always express these numbers in real terms, adjusting for inflation, to make meaningful year-to-year comparisons. Furthermore, we should include spending outside of the general fund; Omaha’s residents inevitably pay for most of these expenses, if not through property or sales taxes, then via fees of some sort.
The charts below tell the true story of Omaha’s spending. Per capita, real public works spending has fallen from 1980s levels. Police and fire spending jumped in the mid-1990s, but has remained flat since. The cost of debt has increased moderately, spiking twice in the past decade. And spending on everything else has declined. Overall, there is no long-term trend toward big government in Omaha.
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