As a homeowner, I'm very disappointed in the Long Beach City Council increasing my property taxes.   Property taxes have been increasing in this city at a rate that outpaces inflation for the past several years.   Taking from the residents is not the only way to balance a budget.   Though it takes less thought than more intelligent ways for the city to remain solvent.
Has your office looked into trimming wasteful spending, and cutting unnecessary overtime?   Has your office looked into city employees sharing health insurance costs?   In addition to my suggestions listed above, there are many other ways to balance a budget without appropriating dollars from the taxpayer.