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rodsullivan.org
SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
February 26, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 2/26/08 The winter weather has been brutal, and it is taking a toll on all of us. Drive extra safely, take some extra time, and hang in there! I know I am hearing from more and more folks who seem to be in a bad mood; let’s all try to avoid letting the weather affect us in this way. Now, in a classic example of failing to take my own advice… I have a weather-related frustration. I have a problem with the fact that the Iowa City Community School District cancels school, and then holds athletic events. I think this sends a TERRIBLE message! The only reason school gets cancelled is safety. If it is unsafe to attend school, one could reasonably assume it is also unsafe to show up at that same school to play basketball. I have been pretty pleased by the proposals put forth by Governor Culver. Combined reporting and expanding the bottle bill are proposals that will really help Iowa, and both are long overdue. Culver has been willing to take a chance in putting his ideas out there. A large majority of Iowans agree with his positions on these issues. Unfortunately, Kevin McCarthy, Pat Murphy, and Mike Gronstal are not among that large majority. These three have decided to play politics, demanding that the Legislature reach “consensus”. Perhaps they should have told Iowa voters that they would require a consensus to get things done. If they need a consensus to legislate, then maybe they really didn’t need that majority after all. Culver’s proposals are bold and thoughtful. Iowans deserve to have their Legislature discuss these issues. I wish these McCarthy, Murphy, and Gronstal would stop worrying about the 2008 elections and actually legislate during the 2008 session. Are you between 37 and 55 and have a desire to embarrass your teenagers? I accidentally stumbled upon the perfect method when I decided to spend $8 on Meatloaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” CD. Drive around in the minivan singing “Paradise By the Dashboard Lights”, and your children will cringe. Sing along while their friends are in the van, and they will never forgive you - guaranteed. Fas Trac Afro-Stu College Bound Program supports African-American students in their high school performance, community involvement and preparation for college. Presently 22 freshman and sophomore students and their parents have signed contracts with the Fas Trac Program. Fas Trac students will be visiting historically Black Colleges each year, as well as participating in various other educational pursuits. The program needs community members, businesses and organizations to provide employment opportunities, internships and other resources that will assist Fas Trac participants to become self- sufficient and college bound. For more information on the Fas Trac Afro-Stu College Bound Program please contact Program Director Henri Harper at 319.936.6611 or via email at harper.henry@iccsd.k12.ia.us. In addition, Fas Trac will be hosting a Soul Food Dinner fundraiser on February 26 from 6-9 PM at City High. The Compeer Program will present its 5th annual concert on Saturday, March 1, 2008, at 7 P.M. at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church. Tickets are $15.00 if purchased in advance or $20.00 at the door. The event benefits the Compeer Program whose mission is to improve the quality of life for adults with mental illness by creating opportunities for friendship with community volunteers. The concert presents local musical groups followed by gourmet desserts. Performing are Euforquestra; Michael and Nancy Bell; Kol Shira; The Awful Purdies; and the U of I Pan American Steel Band. Tickets are on sale at the Community Mental Health Center, Hands Jeweler’s, Lenoch & Cilek ACE Hardware stores, and many local churches. All proceeds provide funding for volunteer recruitment, training, and program materials for the Compeer Program. Not all of Iowa’s State Parks close up during the winter months. Some of the best bets are featured in this article: http://usparks.about.com/od/stateparksus/a/IAwinterparks.htm DID YOU KNOW? While minority youth make up only 17% of the Johnson County residents aged 10-17, they account for 45% of all police complaints, 58% of all juvenile detentions, and 51% of all adjudications. Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website- 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. If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line. If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you! ---Rod
February 19, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 2/19/08
We have had some discussion of taxes lately. I have no problem discussing taxes; in fact, I think having such a discussion is very healthy. I do, however, have several issues with the way in which the discussion has been occurring.
No politician wants to raise taxes. Each of us would love to be the person who is able to say, “I lowered your taxes.” But we do not make taxation decisions in a vacuum. Taxation decisions are a direct result of the levels of service the public has asked government to provide.
For starters, Johnson County is bearing the brunt of the Joint Communications Center (JCC). Although it is a cooperative initiative of every public safety agency in Johnson County, the JCC appears as a county tax increase. The JCC makes up the bulk of the increase taxpayers will see this year on the county portion of their tax bills.
Next we have the cost of doing business. Pretend for a moment that Johnson County has zero population growth. The costs of fuel, insurance, salaries, and the like would still increase. To provide the same levels of service, revenues would need to increase.
In the real world, Johnson County has grown in population about 13% this decade. That means more arrests, more court actions, more people in jail, more ambulance calls, more people voting, more plats, more building inspections, more services to people with disabilities, more vaccinations, more employees… it means more of everything. If we assume the same level of services, costs will still go up. It costs more to provide that basic level of service to 125,000 people than it did to provide it to 110,000.
I take issue with people who claim that we need to cut taxes in this environment, without offering concrete suggestions as to how the costs or levels of services can be reduced. Every time a cut to governmental services is mentioned, the public gets very upset.
I would love it if someone would offer me some ideas. I would be happy to consider any and every suggestion. I pay taxes, too, and I have no desire to pay more than is necessary. But just saying, “taxes are too high,” is an insufficient response.
There is more. As any businessperson will attest, sometimes you need to spend some money to save in the long run. For example, by hiring an employee in the Civil Division at the Sheriff’s Office, we should actually witness a net financial gain.
Another example: Johnson County pays well into six figures in rent annually. Almost all of that will disappear once our new buildings are complete. The new buildings are being paid off aggressively; this much is true. Aggressively paying off these projects is going to save interest in the long run. Plus, building costs are increasing about 8% annually. If you really need a building and can afford to do it now, wouldn’t it make sense to build it? If you wait three years, you will pay 25% more for the same facility, plus you lost three years of increased productivity.
Yet another example – the Board recently voted to add footings so that the parking ramp that will be attached to the new Health and Human Services Building can be expanded from two floors to three at some future date. The cost ($300,000) is not insignificant. But what is the future cost of a lost opportunity? Ask the folks who designed the County jail or Iowa City Public Library, neither of which could be expanded upwards. Those decisions led to very costly scenarios only 20 years down the road.
County Government is traditionally very thrifty, which is a good thing. But some of the capitol projects that have been put off for years are finally getting done. In hindsight, it would have been nice if one of the Boards in the ‘90s had decided to address some of these issues in some small way. But they did not, and their problems were passed on to the current Board.
Finally, I think we need to acknowledge that taxes are not evil. Taxes pay for roads, schools, cops, firefighters, parks, and all sorts of amenities that make our community livable. 50% of the people in Johnson County live in a family where public sector income is a part of the mix. We need to reframe this discussion, and quit demonizing all taxes as bad. Constructive discussions can take place, but only when we acknowledge that tax dollars do a lot of good things.
As always, I am happy to discuss County finances with you. Just give me a call at 356-6000 (work) or 354-7199 (home).
The UI Cultural Diversity Festival is Sunday, February 24 from 12-5 PM at the UI Field House. Admission is free, and ethnic food and crafts are available for purchase. This is a great event every year, and is particularly family-friendly. For more information, see http://www.uiowa.edu/~ccdfest.
The Iowa City Human Rights Commission, as part of an ongoing series exploring the disproportionate number of African Americans in Iowa jails and prisons, is sponsoring a panel discussion that addresses the high rate of African American students who are suspended and expelled from Iowa schools. The program will also address the community response to address this disparity. The program is being held on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 from 7-9 p.m. at the Iowa City Public Library.
Please make plans to attend the buffet supper, dance with live band, and raffle to be held beginning @ 7 PM on Saturday, Feb. 23rd at the American Legion @ 3016 Muscatine Ave, Iowa City. $10 per person, tickets are now on sale, and also available at the door.
Large portion of the proceeds will be going to Vets Helping Vets, the grass roots, Iowa City-based organization founded by homeless vets for the purpose of helping homeless vets. Call Tom Kelly 936-4501 or Len McClellan 515 975 3571, or Ed Flaherty 621-6766 for further information.
DID YOU KNOW? The Johnson County Assessor ranked #2 in the State last year in terms of accuracy in assessments. The Iowa City Assessor ranked 5th.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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.
If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
February 12, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 2/12/08
The Sullivan for Supervisor campaign has a team in the annual Bowl for Kids Sake event, which raises money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County.
We would love it if you would pledge us! Go to http://bbbsjc.kintera.org/ to do the whole process online.
The Board of Supervisors heard from the Johnson County Conservation Board on February 6 regarding their request to ask the voters to support a ballot measure for land preservation.
The Conservation Board has been working with a national organization called the Trust for Public Land (TPL). TPL is a nonprofit land conservation organization that works to protect land for streams, trails, greenways, recreation areas, watersheds, and wilderness. TPL has helped public agencies in all 50 states protect 3,300 properties totaling more than 2 million acres.
TPL conducted a feasibility study to research viable methods for long-term land conservation in Johnson County. TPL looked at methods and amounts of funding, and determined that a strong majority of Johnson County residents would support a $20 million ballot measure. ($20 million translates into $27 annually per $100,000 valuation.)
This could go before the voters at the November 2008 General Election – it is up to the Board of Supervisors to decide whether or not to let the public vote on the measure. First the Conservation Board needs to submit a petition with at least 4,400 signatures – a pretty daunting task.
More discussion on this topic is scheduled for this Thursday’s BOS meeting.
The Board recently discussed the salaries of elected officials. It is an interesting process. Each County has a Compensation Board, consisting of one appointee each by the Sheriff, County Attorney, Recorder, Auditor, and Treasurer, and two appointees by the Board of Supervisors. These Compensation Boards make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors (BOS) regarding the salaries of the ten County elected officials. The BOS can reduce the recommendations, but may not increase them. In addition, if they decide to cut the recommended salaries, the BOS must cut each recommendation by the same percentage.
The Compensation Boards work hard. They look at comparables from all 99 of Iowa’s counties as well as many other factors. So their recommendations are typically very well reasoned.
The recommendation this year was 6% for each elected official. The vote was 4-2, with the Chair not voting.
The current (approximate) salaries are County Attorney $114,000; Sheriff $89,000; Treasurer, Auditor, and Recorder $69,000; and Supervisors $48,000. That adds up to $660,000, meaning a 6% raise would amount to $39,000, and 3% would be $19,500. The Board had decided some time ago that any additional money that “shows up” as the budget is finalized will go toward paying off the new Health & Human Services Building, so if the Board reduces the proposed raises, the extra money will go there.
While I supported a raise of this size once in the past, that was to bring our county into line with its peers. Since that has been done, I do not believe another sizeable raise is called for at this time. Instead, I support the suggestion of the two dissenting members of the Compensation Board - a raise of 3 to 3.5%. My reasons are these:
1. Johnson County elected officials rank almost exactly where they should in terms of pay. Johnson County is the 4th or 5th most populous county in Iowa. The County Attorney’s salary ranks 3rd, the Treasurer and Recorder rank 4th, the Sheriff and Auditor rank 5th, and the Supervisors are 4th. By my way of thinking, that is almost exactly as it should be.
2. All the rest of the employees in Johnson County, union or not, get exactly what the unions negotiate. This year, that is 3.5% on average.
3. There used to be a problem with the salaries of Administrative Deputies. (These are the folks who serve in management capacities in the offices of the elected officials.) These folks were traditionally limited to 80% of the elected official’s salary. Last year, the Iowa Legislature raised this to 85%, and allowed Administrative Deputies to earn longevity pay. So if the BOS gives a 3.5% raise, these folks will get 8.5% plus longevity.
The discussion of the pay for elected officials was complicated somewhat, as there was discussion as to whether or not Supervisors should be considered full or the current three-quarters time. The Compensation Board wisely suggested that the Supervisors needed to figure that out. (We will discuss that issue in a future Salvos!)
Meanwhile, I favor a 3.5% raise for elected officials this year.
You may have read Mike Thayer’s recent letter to the editor, which claimed that “while businesses tighten their belts, governments raise taxes.” Huh? Tighten their belts? I don’t know where Thayer shops, but the costs of gas, food, insurance… hell, EVERYTHING I BUY has gone up! So if by businesses “tightening their belts” he means raising their prices, then yeah, their belts are tight.
There are important discussions that can and should be had around government spending. I am happy to have those conversations (I actually enjoy them!), but let’s be honest first.
The 3rd annual Valentine Gala for Habitat for Humanity on Monday, February 11, 6 - 9 pm at the South Slope Cooperative Community Center in North Liberty. This is a fundraiser to kick off our 2008 build season. Music by Euforquestra, a great local band; appetizers from 126, salad from Devotay, bread from New Pi, luscious desserts including a chocolate fountain, wine and non-alcoholic beverage, a chance to learn about Habitat, to dance and to bid on the live and silent auction items. Tickets are $50 and $25 is the tax-deductible contribution.
MADE IN L.A. - A documentary film by Almudena Carracedo & Robert Bahar, Made in L.A. follows the story of three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles garment sweatshops as they help organize co-workers through a local Workers’ Center and embark on a three-year struggle to win fair treatment from a mega-trendy clothing retailer.
For more on the film see: http://www.madeinla.com/.
Free public screening 7 pm, Tuesday, February 19 - 101 Biology Building. Sponsored by the UI Center for Human Rights and the UI Labor Center. For more information call 319-335-4144.
Saturday, February 16 is the 24th Annual Sutliff Golf Classic -
held right in Sutliff (bet you didn't know there was a golf course!).
Registration is at noon, tee off is at 1 pm. A great time can be had by all with the wacky marshmallow put, hole in one (inner-tube floating from the bridge), longest drive, and more, and a jacks tournament in the back room.
If the river is still frozen over, it should be another interesting year! Last year we had snowmobiles and the golf outing all in one day!
DID YOU KNOW? One out of every ten homeless people served in the armed forces.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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.
If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
February 4, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 2/5/08
Happy Superbowl! Happy Super Tuesday! And Happy Mardis Gras! Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Mardis Gras naturally leads me to think of New Orleans. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, there has been some discussion nationally as to whether or not New Orleans ought to rebuild in the same location. The primary argument is simple - should those of us who live in areas less prone to disasters subsidize the rest?
I think we are asking the wrong question. New Orleans makes infinitely more sense than Las Vegas and Phoenix. For all our concerns over petroleum, the resource that really matters is water. We have seen several wars over oil; just wait until we have a war over water.
Back to the primary argument of New Orleans’ opponents - should those of us who have access to adequate water subsidize areas that do not?
Unsustainable development is a huge problem; I just don’t think New Orleans is where we should be focused.
The national political scene has moved away from Iowa, but plenty of local issues remain. As I have mentioned before, I am running for reelection to the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. If you would like to get some information on my campaign, please visit http://www.rodsullivan.org/.
I am one of two Supervisors headed to Washington, DC next week as part of the annual Chamber of Commerce Corridor Federal Issues Trip.
This trip takes people involved in business and politics from the IC & CR area and puts them in DC in front of the staffs of Congressman Loebsack and Senators Harkin and Grassley.
I must admit – I wasn’t sure I’d ever participate in this endeavor. I was not sure I would find myself in ideological agreement with the efforts, and I am not particularly popular in the business crowd. Additionally, it is hard to leave Melissa as a single parent, even for a few days.
Then I got excited. I was under the (false) assumption we would be lobbying for some of the same issues we identified as priorities at JCCOG and its Linn County equivalent. Unfortunately, that is not how items are ranked. Instead, a small group of Chamber folks from each end of the Corridor get together and decide what issues we will push. This is disappointing, because their issues do not quite match up with the issues that local governments have already identified.
Local governments have fairly exhaustive public processes in use to help determine our priorities; no one from the Chamber (or any business) ever showed up to comment during these public hearings. If they had good arguments for different rankings, we should have heard about them long ago. It is entirely possible that the Chamber rankings are right and the elected folks are wrong, but we will never know, because there was no discussion. It is unfortunate that the judgment of these few people is then substituted for the decisions of elected officials who used open public processes. I would hope this process can be improved in future years.
Of course, it is a “Chamber Trip”, not a “Local Government Trip”, so they call the shots. The Chambers are certainly free to go advocate for the things they feel will improve their communities. And they should be complimented on their initiative.
That being said, perhaps local governmental officials should make a separate trip that better reflects the interests of the people they represent. The issues that get pushed are supposed to be beneficial to the whole corridor. Should public dollars be spent sending elected officials to lobby for priorities other than those determined through a public process? I think it is a fair question. The trip costs Johnson County about $3,400 for two people; given that they are taking more people, I am sure IC, CV, and NL are spending even more.
Interestingly, even though this is a Chamber trip, only 6 of the 25 Johnson County participants come from the private sector. 13 of the participants are from local governments, 3 from the UI, 2 from the quasi-governmental Convention and Visitors Bureau, and one from the nonprofit sector.
Part of my disappointment stems from the fact that I thought we were going to be doing more lobbying for two so-called “alternative” forms of transportation - trails and rail. Trails and rail are huge issues for our area, and very progressive in nature. These two issues have been discussed publicly as priorities. The population of the Corridor is excited by the possibilities. These are two issues that affect the whole Corridor rather than individual communities. We have the opportunity to be on the cutting edge in Eastern Iowa, but we cannot do it without federal cooperation. So these would have been great issues to push.
It sounds as though we might get a bit of time on these topics. If so, I’ll try to champion these two issues. Who knows, maybe I will be pleasantly surprised. I will let you know how it goes.
Speaking of modes of transit… a gentleman named Mike Barnhart runs the Neighborhood Transit Service in Cedar Rapids. He is pioneering bus service between CR & IC one week per month in the morning and afternoon.
It leaves the Ground Transportation Center in CR at 7 AM and 4 PM, and Old Capitol Mall in IC at 8 AM and 5 PM. The trip takes just under 45 minutes, and the cost is $7 per round trip.
I am SO excited about this effort! Kudos to Mr. Barnhart! Commuters – give this a try! Mr. Barnhart can be reached at 319-981-2823 with questions.
DID YOU KNOW? The US has 1.3 million active duty military personnel. In addition, there are about 1.1 million people in the Guard and Reserves, and an undisclosed number of private contractors.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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.
If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
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