Taxes & Spending

The Issue

East Bethel must provide core services while managing the long-term cost of roads, infrastructure, public safety, staffing, and growth. Every recurring expense eventually becomes part of the burden carried by residents and businesses.

My Position

Major expenditures should begin with a clearly defined problem, supporting data, alternatives, and an explanation of how success will be measured. Spending should follow strategy, not substitute for it.

• Require stronger justification for major recurring contracts and expenditures.
• Evaluate long-term operating costs before approving growth-related investments.
• Prioritize development that broadens the commercial and industrial tax base.
• Use performance information to revisit whether city spending is producing the intended result.

What Success Looks Like

A city government that protects essential services, avoids unnecessary long-term obligations, and steadily reduces pressure on residential taxpayers by strengthening the overall tax base.