Graffiti Strains the City Budget

Cleaning up unwanted markings on public property costs taxpayers millions of dollars every year.  Some cities do not have a budget for graffiti cleanup,  therefore, funds have to be allocated from other city budgets to make up for the deficit. This puts an obvious and unnecessary strain on government-run programs, such as public services, as well as other tax funded articles like public education.

Graffiti clean-up drains a city of their resources, costing both money and manpower, which is deducted from budgets that would otherwise be used for public provisions.  Public services such as public transportation, infrastructure, and environmental protection are greatly affected if the budget for these services are tapped in order to clean up illegal markings.  The crime is even more economically strenuous if additional funds are used to pay for security watches.

Even more distressing to see, is when the public education assets are recruited to combat the graffiti budget delinquencies.  Utter chaos ensues if schools cannot adequately pay for resources,  uphold safe and orderly school campus grounds, and the hiring and sustaining of respectable teachers.  Sadly, scholarship funding may also be reduced for the less fortunate students.

The cost of cleaning up graffiti is high and in some instances a full time job. Some cities never see a shortage of unwanted markings they have to clean up. A tagging site is cleaned up one day, and in some cases, it is back the very next day. While other cities see an ebb and flow, once an area is vandalized and not taken care of, the problem will quickly grow out of control.

Though it can be costly, prevention is the best solution because in the long run it will cost the city less than the constant clean up of the graffiti problem.