SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

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.

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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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SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

February 19, 2008

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