I would like to see the relation between competence and strength of political alignment (as in, deviation from 50/50 red/blue vote for local government).

I naively expect that less strongly aligned cities are run more competently, because the concept of "consequences" can exist. Where I am, there's a very strong political alignment, so no consequences at all. The same group of people will be voted for, no matter what they do.

A lot of city governments no longer really focus on the day-to-day living experience in their city. Instead, they focus on property value and the discovery of increasingly palatable ways to limit or justify raising property taxes in order to stay in power.

Basically, every city hall is like the show Parks and Recreation from a competency situation. Then it’s about rubbing each other’s back and staying in power.

You have to jump through hurdles to get hired into a real position, or know someone that can sidestep those hurdles to get you hired, then once you’re in, it’s about staying there. This combination means you never do anything really useful, at least not quickly. The citizens take a backseat while the clowns in power perform in the circus.

Isn't this just the end result of larger and larger portions of budgets going to interest payments?

Governments at all levels have accreted increasingly ravenous parasites who are on the verge of killing any effective functions of the host.