I grabbed lunch the other day at DJ’s Bagels. It was a delicious Reuben combo with a side dish. I also grabbed a Monster, the “Loca Moca” variety. Yum.

Total cost -- $12.76.

I used the handy-dandy “Property Tax Calculator” on the town’s Web site the other day to figure out how much extra tax I would have to pay if voters approve the property tax issue.

Given the 2008 limited property value of my house as assigned by Mr. Keith E. Russell, Maricopa County assessor, the total tax for me would be $233.92 for the year.

That comes out to $19.49 per month extra on my mortgage, not too much more – really – than my bagel sandwich and drink, which were both gone within 20 minutes.

How many gallons of gas could I buy for $19.49?

Oh, probably about five or six (hard to estimate with gas prices going up daily).

And how many times a month do I have to fill up that tank?

I suppose if I hate the town, dislike government in general, don’t trust those in office and think I already pay WAY too much in all kinds of taxes – sales, income, property, etc. – I’m not going to be inclined to vote for the extra town taxes.

I mean, after all, we just voted for school-related financial stuff last November, and does the Town of Fountain Hills really need all this “extra” money? If everyone just “nickels and dimes” me to death like this, pretty soon I’m paying some significant money in taxes.

On the other hand, after working in Fountain Hills for 25 years, I’d like to think I have a pretty good handle on how things work out here and what it takes to run a town, keep the schools open, treat my smelly sewage, etc.

I like the parks system we have. I would like to keep it looking nice. I like the fact that if I call 9-1-1 that police and fire personnel would drop everything and come rescue me or my house. I like having smooth roads on which to burn that expensive gasoline. I like going into the Community Center for various classes or programs. I like having people behind the scenes inspecting new construction and enforcing local codes and ordinances to keep us all safe and helping make sure the place looks pretty.

These things cost money. And, as we all know, prices are not going to come down.

If the Town of Fountain Hills doesn’t get the property tax right now, would the sky fall tomorrow? Hardly.

Have I agreed with all the decisions of the Town Council or staff members? Not quite.

Have mistakes been made? Absolutely.

Could things be done better? Yep.

Such is life in America.

But for me, for about $20 a month, I’m thinking the investment is worth it. Now I won’t get any hard returns on that “investment,” but I think the dividends would be the continuation of a higher-than-average quality of life and a town that functions and grows in a positive way.

Fountain Hills is better than a lot of other places, isn’t it?

Some might call me naïve for thinking this way, but I feel community pride and civic participation go a long way toward progressive thinking and looking at local government in a more positive light than continually seeing conspiracies around every corner and a scandal in every Town Hall cubicle.

Sure, we could always make cuts and decrease spending, but that’s a temporary measure that doesn’t enhance anything.

If you don’t want things to get better, then go ahead and vote no. I would rather equip the town to keep improving.