For now, allow me to offer several comments on the Governor’s recommendations:

• Eliminates brownfield credits (surely will impact many older established urban communities)
  Appropriates Fire Protection Grants at $9.3m (versus the $10m+ currently – this is probably not a bad point of departure, given what other budgets in the recent past have proposed)

• Re: Revenue Sharing – the cut is ALL at the expense of the urban core inasmuch as they are the overwhelming recipients of statutory revenue sharing. Then, they restore $200m available to ALL local governments (constitutional and statutory recipients) on a “performance” basis. This will further redistribute $$ away from cities/urban core (the state’s primary service delivery centers). This is FURTHER state policy encouraging sprawl beyond the urban core where there is established infrastructure and established service delivery systems !!!
• The state says that if locals follow the state’s example and lead, it can “absorb these cuts”…………….well, the state is recommending STATE tax increases that totally offset the cuts to their STATE revenues. You are being directed to eat them through efficiencies, consolidations, “best practices”, and by “following the lead of the state”. Imagine if YOU had the same ability to offset your cuts with you own revenue options and increases !!
• Community Colleges were held harmless in their appropriation based explicitly on an acknowledgement by the Governor that they have “held the line” and have extraordinarily been hurt by the drop off in property values…………well, how does that NOT apply to you as well !!!