OpEd: Public Expenditures must mirror Private Enterprise Success/Failure:

Every year, public employee types in governmental institutions budget for the future in a one year or even five year capital expenditure plan. For example, the plan for Evansville is published in the city website. One of the older council members from years gone past, used to call these plans "dreams" that would be reviewed to see where we were as the dreams came up. Some governmental employees and servants see these plans as cast in stone. I would submit that in cities where the ratio of indebtedness is higher than the norm, and at a height that requires a level of taxation by property tax that makes it unattractive for the stranger from afar to purchase a home in that city----that it should be declared that the capital expenditure budget is officially a "dream". Without the success of commercial enterprise, expecially in Evansville which has declared the expansion of commercial as critical to the proper balance of property taxes in our fair city---public expenditure, public plans for "infrastructure" or "projects" must WAIT till the reality of commercial success has bloomed. It must wait till the past burdens of failed TIF districts have been eased by real growth--- such as TIF #5 which has a negative balance of $1,600,000. These large negative numbers send a signal that the wisdom of the past is in question and needs to be reviewed. The purpose of government is to serve the families of a community and not destroy them. Make a note of it.