If it's summer in Texas, you can be assured three things will happen: The Texas Rangers will fold, it will be hot, and crime will rise. Well, the Rangers are hanging in there, but it's already hot, and crime is on the way up elsewhere in the city, but not here in the North Central division area. In most other areas of the city, crime is up 10-15% over last year; here in our neighborhoods, residential burglaries are actually down 10% and business burglaries are down 23% over last year, according to a story in the DMN today. In fact, our neighborhoods are the only area of the city where crime has fallen since last year.
Although the crime news here is good, elsewhere in the city it isn't and police are working on solutions, some of which simply require more manpower. Couple that with dwindling sales tax collections and a shortage in city budget funds, and we have all of the makings for a pretty stressful summer and fall — and that's not even taking into account all of the mud-slinging that's bound to occur as part of the national election cycle. Our council reps have demonstrated dexterity in spending our money lately (see: $500 million taxpayer subsidized hotel convention center owned by the city), but we all know it's easier and more fun to spend money than save it, so let's hope they have some Kevlar helmets downtown for the upcoming budget season. And let's hope crime doesn't increase so much we're going to need those helmets ourselves.
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