Why is Manteca City Hall surprised at seeing less revenue from plummeting property values? When one opts to ride the economic bubble, one should anticipate the ill effects of the crash that always occurs at the end of the ride.

This was not a new anomaly. It is actually a repeat of the economic downturns that occurred in the late 1970s, late ’80s and ’90s, and will likely occur again in 10 years, as the pattern seems to indicate.

Rather than bemoan plummeting property values, as City Hall has done during each previous economic downturn, why not learn from history and try something different?

Since the budgetary process in Manteca is so closely knit to the cyclical trends of new development, why not reduce the level of reliance?

The inherent cultural thought process that Manteca needs to fund and/or supplement new development at any cost is fundamentally wrong. Doing so means funding sources for community amenities is sacrificed or placed on the back-burner until new funds become available.

The problem with this mind-set is that every 10 years, we experience an economic downturn that siphons the fiscal resources and leaves the city once again without funds, and the community once again left without a new library, a new City Hall, a revitalized downtown, a new police station and so on.

There is little the city can do to prevent the state from siphoning funds or the affects of a severely downturned economic market. However, the city can work to minimize the loss of property values by establishing and supporting a proactive neighborhood preservation program, which can serve as a stabilizing force in the wake of a cyclical market and boost a long-term source of revenue for City Hall.

The City Council should implement such a program to protect the long-term property values of the existing community. This untapped resource, when coupled with a budgetary process that is less reliant on new development and with a new focus and prioritizing, can result having the money available to pay for needed community amenities.

Or, the council can choose to repeat the old scenario and speculate that funds might be available in the next 10 years.

• Benjamin Cantu is a resident and businessman from Manteca.