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Is the $4.5 million retiree health care savings included in the projected deficit? How much is being redirected to the West Duluth maintenance facility? Is that commitment legally binding or discretionary? And why should that money not be considered before Duluth asks property owners to pay more?
Duluth does not have one governmentwide financial crisis. It has a school district in a precarious position and a city government that is beginning to encounter some of the same cost-versus-revenue pressures.
The City of Duluth administration cannot warn taxpayers about a projected $5.5 million deficit while refusing to explain a recurring $4.5 million funding stream redirected from general operations. The account now has nearly $9 million.
Before City Hall asks property owners for another increase, it must account for the recurring $4.5 million created by its retiree health care breakthrough.
Duluth residents should not accept a budget narrative built only around the bad news. Transparency requires more than explaining the size of the shortfall. It requires identifying every option, every revenue decision and every pool of existing or reasonably anticipated financial capacity.