It sounds like the number of city employees is growing in tandem with the population and nearly the same rate.  Also, by actually voting to allow the city to keep property taxes they would otherwise have to return it seems like that same population is in favour of what these employees (and the government in general) are doing.  So what is this story really about?  Someone venting because a city is going the way the population of that city actually wants to go?  Sounds more like dog bites man than man bites dog - where's the news in all this?