I think that it is well established that roads need proper maintenance to extend their “life” and avoid the costs and inconvenience of major reconstruction. I also think that such maintenance was not optimally managed in past years.

Just about one year ago, the town proposed a new primary property tax and identified this issue as one of the justifications for the tax. The major problem with the property tax, for me and the clear majority of Fountain Hills voters, was the huge amount being proposed, the failure for the tax to go away and that fact that the tax revenues could be spent on other things. The numbers provided to us by the town for projected revenues and expenses for future years were also not convincing.

Voters resoundingly rejected the tax. Nevertheless, the question of road maintenance remains. I was encouraged to read in last week’s Times that another attempt for a new property tax is not a high priority. If that is true, and I hope it is true, it is a wise decision. I was also pleased to read that new Councilmember David Spelich and former candidate Gerry Friedel are taking the initiative to propose a novel idea to address the issue.

I’m not a big government nor a big tax guy. Remember, I was the one behind nonewtax.us and most of the red “No new tax” signs from last spring. I also recognize that a government “fee” is a euphemism for “tax.” However, practical needs require practical solutions, and I think the proposal made by Spelich and Friedel has merit and warrants objective consideration by the town and by us.

In future weeks, I’ll share some thoughts. It will also be a topic of an upcoming meeting of Fountain Hills AZ Tea Party. Stay tuned!