SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
January 29, 2008
Johnson County lost another amazing individual this past week with the passing of Ruth Bonfiglio.
Lots of people talk about the world in which they want to live. Few people go out and work to make that vision a reality. Ruth was one of the few.
I could write at length about her many achievements, but I’ll try to sum it up. Ruth dedicated her life to improving the lives of poor children. I guess not much more needs to be said. She will be missed.
If an employer went to a local government and said they would bring $156,000 in new money into the local economy, virtually every penny to be spent and spent locally, what kind of reception would they get? Would they be offered tax breaks? Would the papers do front-page stories? Would someone win an economic development award? It is the economic equivalent of 70 local full-time workers getting a $1.30/hour raise!
This happened last year, and it happened in Johnson County. It happened as a result of the “You Earned It, Now Claim It!” Free Tax Help initiative. This initiative is a cooperative effort of the UI VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program, Johnson County, the Iowa City Public Library, the IC Housing Authority, the ICCSD, the AARP, Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, the United Way, and many others.
Particular credit needs to go to Johnson County Social Services Coordinator Amy Correia. Amy researched other models, gathered together the partners, led the planning, and shepherded a diverse group to an outstanding result. She even got her hands dirty doing childcare!
The Free Tax Help initiative is an important program for our community. Unfortunately, many workers do not file tax returns. Others do not get back everything they should. In other cases, workers pay exorbitant fees and interest rates under the guise of “rapid refunds.”
Through the Free Tax Help initiative, people with incomes under $39,000 can get free help electronically filing their taxes. Refunds are received in just a few days. There are 8 sites around the County, and translators and childcare are available at several locations. No appointments are necessary.
The initiative will begin a second year in early February. For more information on this Free Tax Help, call 211, or see the County website at www.johnson-county.com/socialservices/tax-services.shtml.
The 11th Annual DVIP Souper Bowl will be January 31, 2008, 5:30-7:30, at the Quality Inn and Suites on North Dodge and Highway 1 (It is the old Highlander, just North of Interstate 80).
The Souper Bowl is a soup supper to support the local domestic violence shelter. Local restaurants donate soup and bread. Local artists and pottery stores donate bowls. It's a family-friendly event so bring the kids! They eat free unless they'd like to take a bowl home.
Tickets are $20.00 and you get to take your bowl home as a yearlong reminder that domestic violence is a daily issue!
Have fun and help kids in Johnson County! Big Brothers Big Sisters is now accepting Team Registration forms for their annual fundraiser - Bowl For Kids’ Sake. Get together a group of five of your friends and raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County at the 24th annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake, February 23rd and 24th at Colonial Lanes in Iowa City.
This year’s pledge goal is $130,000 and we need your support. Call 337-2145 or visit http://www.bbbsjc.org/ for more information on forming a team. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County is a youth program of ISU Extension and is a United Way agency.
The Sullivan for Supervisor campaign has a team; please visit http://www.bbbsjc.kintera.org/ to sponsor us!
From Citizens for Tax Justice: Several Presidential candidates have proposed allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for wealthy Americans. For Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, "wealthy" means those with income above $250,000, while for former Senator John Edwards, this means those who make more than $200,000. John Edwards thinks people with incomes higher than $200,000 should pay more in Social Security payroll taxes, while Mitt Romney thinks that people with incomes below $200,000 need a new tax break for investments.
There seems to be a perception that people with incomes around $200,000 are "middle-class" people. A new paper
It further explores how people are often even more confused when the discussion revolves around the "richest one percent," partly because about a fifth of the public seems to believe they're in the top one percent.
DID YOU KNOW? The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website - http://www.johnson-county.com/.
"Sullivan’s Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
These messages come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise mentioned.
As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:35 PM
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