Listen:
The city of Tucson is trying to fill a $12 million budget gap this year, and it could be more than $40 million next year.
If the city does nothing to change its trajectory of spending vs. revenue, the difference will keep going up from there.
For the next three years, one of the biggest expenses driving the budget deficit is the pension program for public safety workers. The city’s police and fire employees are enrolled in a state retirement system, so the council has little control over the rising costs in the program.
The city manager is looking for ways to increase revenue to close the gap, and is offering retirement incentives to cut the number of employees.
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