Mesa Promise – No New Taxes or Fees for Cubs Spring Training

While the cost of building the proposed Chicago Cubs spring training facility in the City of Mesa keeps creeping upward, city officials vow no additional taxes or other fees will be placed on Mesa residents to pay the bills, regardless of the final tab. This is listed as one of the ten most important reasons to vote for spending millions of dollars on this project. The current plan calls for raising taxes on tourists via an increased bed tax on hotels and motels along with the sale of city-owned land in Pinal County. Of course, the land being sold was purchased with money from residents of Mesa who paid taxes and fees to the city. The people of Mesa own the land, not the politicians in power at the moment. This is simply a case of following the OPM (Other People’s Money) doctrine, proving once again that it is relatively easy to give away what you don’t own.

Who knows, maybe we could get the Yankees and Red Sox to move spring training to Mesa if we were willing to sell all the libraries and parks owned by the City of Mesa. Why not sell City Hall? Just remember to take the politicians out before showing the property, as they definitely diminish the value.