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<br /> <br />Page 8 <br />1 <br />example are Police. I think you know this because we <br />2 <br />had the graciousness of G.E.T. tax and other income, <br />3 <br />what is the first thing we did? Highest priority: <br />4 <br />40-some police officers. You give me 50 more, and I'm <br />5 <br />still short as far as public needs or park maintenance <br />6 <br />or highway people. We are always going to be short; <br />7 <br />and that's the name of the kind of service that we <br />8 <br />provide. <br />9 <br />So, in a long, long answer, can we afford it? <br />10 <br />We have to. When it comes to like the first year with <br />11 <br />all the cuts, we had to raise the peoples’ property tax <br />12 <br />across-the-board approximately 6 percent. And things <br />13 <br />that, you know, you would like to do or don't like to <br />14 <br />do, don't ever try to cut down to services, key <br />15 <br />services. And that year, we went down to bare bottom <br />16 <br />and finally said we have to go before the council and <br />17 <br />the public to say we need this amount. <br />18 <br />This past year, or this present year, we're <br />19 <br />so fortunate that we had another alternative to meet <br />20 <br />the expenses of which salaries are part of it, <br />21 <br />negotiated or otherwise; and that was a G.E.T. tax., <br />22 <br />which prevented us from going to the public back again <br />23 <br />with the same decision-making. <br />24 <br />So, a long answer to your question, "Can we <br />25 <br />afford it?" We have to. We have to make the decision <br /> <br />ISLAND COURT REPORTING & TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES <br />(808) 933-9800 <br /> <br />