Question

You are the city manager and the budget is tight. Your options are either to raise taxes and/or fees, cut programs and services, or raise taxes and cut services. Which do you choose? If you are going to cut services, which services do you cut? Once your decision is made, how do you sell your idea to the city council and the residents of your city that this is the best option?

Answer 1

The correct answer to this open question is the following.

As the city manager and knowing that the budget is tight, I would choose to raise taxes and cut programs. The programs I would choose would be the ones that have less impact in the medium to lower classes. I would establish the priorities of the government that clearly are the creation of jobs and health services. I would sell my idea to the city council and the residents of your city that this is the best option in that I would tell them that these are temporary measures while the economic situation could be transformed in 6 to 12 months. The government would save some money stopping unnecessary expenditure, and there will be some financial incentives to entrepreneurs and businessmen that decide to create new business in the city.