Solaria Statistics: Full Rundown (4 of 4)

First it was basic stats, then the maintenance breakdown, and progressed to taxes in general. This segment shifts focus back to our city.

This metropolis has no taxes and the bare minimum of one fee. How does it sustain itself?

Solaria relies on the generosity of its citizens to stay fully functional. When things started getting tough for cities, I made a conscious decision to ease the burden for citizens...rescinding any additional taxes or fees. So long as there are funds in the treasury, I see no need to take credits from anyone involuntarily.

When a donation is made, the mayor is alerted who contributed and how much. It would be very nice to have that same message go out to citizens (or even a choice to be anonymous or not). Maybe I smell a future suggestion even.

After I made my decision, I did a one-time mail to encourage everyone to think about contributing at least once to the treasury since I had done away with all taxes. It went better than I expected; solidifying the notion I had made the right gamble.

Whenever someone moves into Solaria, I send a customized mail explaining the donation system rather than taxation. To date, I never had to make a push for funding. My thanks for all who have shouldered the burden in the fiduciary realm. I even pay a fixed amount into the treasury each time I win an election: showing just another reason how your vote for me solidifies Solaria's success.

One of the great things about having an old incumbent/elder mayor who cares about the city is the aspect of record keeping. Ever since city mechanics notified the mayor of treasury deposits, I have been keeping track of the generosity for no specific reason than just one of the random set of records I hold onto.

For privacy sake, I won't disclose the actual generosity, but I'll close this out with the top ten total contributors in the realm of sheer credits. Please bear in mind, money is no match for loyalty; and I am not loyal to money. This is just a fun little list.

[If you aren't a citizen but want to donate, just get in contact with me. I'm not soliciting donations at all, but doesn't hurt to put the thought out there.]

If you want your name removed from this list, just let me know.
My thanks to all the readers and citizens!

1. Gaedel Threefootseven XXXXXXXX
2. Ywomi XXXXXXXX
3. Edgecrusher XXXXXXX
4. Jivaro Qel-Jairus XXXXXXX
5. Dracino XXXXXXX
6. Zoulose XXXXXX
7. Klouds XXXXXX
8. Arayette XXXXXX

Solaria Statistics: Full Rundown (3 of 4)

Can there really be more to share?
Of course!

Part 1 was devoted to hard stats, and part 2 was a breakdown of maintenance.

The question may be asked where the money for maintenance comes from. The funds are pulled from a city's treasury. But what fuels the treasury? It comes from three major sources.

Method #1 - FEES
Most would assume a different starting point, but fees are the usual way for getting visitors to contribute to a city.

How is it applied?
This is achieved from shuttle fees when traveling or a garage surcharge. Solaria has no tacked-on price when repairing a vehicle, and the shuttle's price is the lowest allowed (and would be zero if possible).

Method #2 - TAXES
The most talked about and reviled mechanic in generating operating costs for a city; automatically taken out on a weekly basis. It is the usual reason why someone prefers to live outside of city limits.

How is it applied?
Many know at least one of these areas, but this is a post of disclosure...

The most obvious of them all might be income tax. As city mechanics go, this is a set amount charged to each property's owner.

Another form is property tax, which is formulated as a percentage based on a houses standard maintenance fee. Anyone who has a property inside a city can find any applied taxes by checking the status via the structure management terminal.

Least noticed is sales tax, which is a percentage added to the price of an item listed on a vendor. If an item is set at 100 credits with a 10% sales tax, the price will list on the vendor at 110 credits. This is the only tax which can be applicable to people living outside of a city. Additional note: Structure entry fees are not applied to a city - only the structure's owner.

Method #3 - CONTRIBUTIONS
This is the least-noticed of the three and only applies to those who are declared citizens of a city.

How is it applied?
Inside of city hall, citizens can donate via the city management terminal. It is a purely voluntary option. Part of that I think needs an adjustment, but...

(more in part four)

Solaria Statistics: Full Rundown (2 of 4)

What's left to show?

Part 1 was related to the general statistics of Solaria. This part is devoted to one of those aspects: maintenance.

What is maintenance?

Cities, just as houses, cost money to run. From the prettiest garden to the ugliest mission terminal; and even the most necessary homes for citizens, the piper must be paid.

Maybe people know about maintenance...or maybe not. There is a fixed amount applied to each item within the city's borders: taken out weekly. What most people (even mayors) may not know the breakdown of it.

I took the liberty of making a couple charts related to where our city's maintenance goes; broken down by percentages. Click either image to see a larger version.

There was one place that made a great-looking chart but the formatting and customization of it was rather horrid. But it sure looks nice! So here's a first look:

This is a more detailed version, though not as slick looking as the above image.

As the chart shows, the largest chunk of maintenance is devoted to housing (structures). Besides the acreage issues, it's apparent how more than one factor is at play regarding some of the city's property restrictions.

Solaria Statistics: Full Rundown (1 of 4)

For the longest time it was mails to citizens when information was doled out. Now things can be listed here, keeping the mails fewer and more concise...and people outside of residents can take a look at city mechanics.

This is a four-part series to give a better picture of a city behind the scenes.
1)  Solaria Statistics (here)
2)  Maintenance Breakdown
3)  Revenue Avenues
4)  Historical Helpers

To create the most comprehensive rundown ever for Solaria, I combined information from various sections of the city terminal. Some information has been obscured for security issues.

T H E  R U N D O W N

=======================
Solaria, Rori
founded by:  Amerio Starmaker
2004.02.22 (19:51:13 EST)

Citizens:  6X
Structures:  270
Specialization:  Research Center
Rank:  Metropolis (Rank 5)
Alignment: Rebel
Total Maintenance:  1XXXXX
Income Tax:  0 credits
Property Tax:  0%
Sales Tax:  0%
Travel Ticket Fee:  100 credits
Garage Service Fee:  0%
=======================

Retro: Solaria Statistics '08

Just as the title...these are old statistics I dug out.  They were nge but before the houses first started the demolitions [pack up collection] started.

The statistics are dated October 2008.  It was a time the old houses with old footprints were still there.  And the city had much more of a struggle for city maintenance reserves to stay full.


City Statistics

Rank: Metropolis (5)
Radius: 450m
Citizenship: 85
Structures: 261
Registered Civic Structures: 90
Specialization: Research Center
Income Tax: 2000 credits
Property Tax: 19%
Sales Tax: 0%
Travel Ticket Fee: 100 credits
Garage Service Fee: 6%