Our community is populated with a favorable mix of younger families and retirees enjoying the fruits of their labor. Why then are we so prone to haggle over the slightest things such as movie theaters, traffic circles and the Chamber of Commerce and settle for the least expensive or least sensitive option at every turn like a sales tax to cover public safety needs?

There are three major avenues into the town center, Saguaro Blvd., now to get much needed repairs; Palisades Blvd., a nice drive with center divide; and then our namesake, Fountain Hills Blvd., which looks like it was designed by a committee and then abandoned.

The real estate downturn and loss of revenue from sales taxes on new building has resulted in a dedicated but reduced staff operating the town on a budget that is nearly nonexistent.

Things will never be the same again!

It is time the community steps up and supports discussions on a dependable source of tax revenue such as a property tax.

It can work as many communities across the country use this method. If we do not like what happens to the tax rate, we can vote the villains out and elect a new set. We do that part now in any case!

There are those who support reestablishing a fire district, but that would only solve part of the problem. We need to think about what may happen if there is a change in the Sheriff’s Office, which could force starting our own department. We had that once with the Marshal’s Department, which was dumped just when it was ready to take over the job.

These are the things we must do if we want to keep Fountain Hills the delightful community we all care about. The alternatives are very distasteful to consider!