Earlier this year a dedicated group of concerned residents invested considerable time, effort and personal expense attempting to inform the public and correct a serious revenue shortfall that exists in the town, but we failed.

One of the several examples of the problem was the lack of adequate emergency or rainy-day funds. Ironically, that chicken has come home to roost with the $600,000 price tag to restore a major portion of Golden Eagle Park. That price does not include corrective action to prevent repeat damage in the future.

I should point out that beyond being a significant community feature – second only perhaps to Fountain Park – it is also the site of most local youth sports programs plus many tournaments and sports camp programs which draw outsiders and their money to Fountain Hills. It is imperative that it be restored and quickly!

Think about it, this is merely an opening act to a scenario which will only get worse if the revenue issues are not addressed. We must forget all the complaints about inappropriate spending by the town’s officials and face the facts that still exist today. We do not have enough revenue to properly maintain our streets, the town’s buildings or parks. And we particularly do not have enough set aside for the unexpected events like the rains that did so much damage to Golden Eagle Park.

Our sales tax is at the upper end; however, our property is taxed at a much lower rate than the state average. There is room for all of us to do more. The population consists of a good mix of full-time and part-time residents with the capability and the means to do the right thing to solve the problem if they would simply put their collective shoulder to the wheel.