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rodsullivan.org
SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
March 27, 2010
Sullivan’s Salvos 3-30-10 I had the opportunity to watch President Obama’s speech at the UI Field House last Thursday. What a great opportunity! I am glad the President chose Johnson County as the location for this event. Speaking of historic events, one year ago, the Iowa Supreme Court decision in the Varnum v. Brien case legalized same sex marriage in Iowa. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of this event, a rally will be held on the Pentacrest from 10-11 AM on Tuesday, March 30. Please note – it has been a year. Hundreds of same sex couples have married. The world has not come to an end. No one has been hurt by the change. There are just a few more people out there with a few more rights. It is all good. Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it! Please take care if you are travelling, and have a safe holiday. If you are staying in town Easter weekend, please join the volunteers at the Agape Café for a breakfast fundraiser on Saturday, April 3 from 8-11 AM at Old Brick. For the past 17 years, the Agape Café has served a hot breakfast to low income and homeless folks every Wednesday. Now you can experience the same fine food for a free will donation. $40 will buy enough groceries to run the café for one week. If you cannot attend, checks can be sent to the Episcopal Campus Ministry at 320 East College Street, Iowa City. I wrote several months ago about a group of local people who are attempting to create a website that will link folks who can barter their goods and services. This seems like a great idea, and I am now told that the website has been improved. Check it out at:
An interesting discussion has been taking place at the federal level when it comes to the deficit. GOP lawmakers are quick to voice their concerns that the Stimulus program, jobs programs, and other Obama initiatives include deficit spending.
Big deficits concern many Americans. (If it did not poll well, the GOP would not be repeating it!) Deficits SHOULD concern Americans. We obviously would prefer to have a balanced budget.
But the issue is not so simple. Just as individual families borrow to do big things (such as buying homes), so does the federal government. The whole key is deciding – when is it worth going into debt?
Going into debt to fund an ill-advised war in Iraq made no sense to me then, and makes less sense to me 8 years later.
Personally, I do not have a problem increasing the deficit if it puts people back to work, stabilizes the economy, and creates valuable public infrastructure. This is exactly what FDR accomplished through the large public works programs of the 1930s.
Also similar to the 30s – we need to couple any deficit spending with reregulation of the financial sector, so that future Presidents are not faced with the mess President Obama inherited. Unfortunately, we forgot the 1930s by the time Graham-Leach-Bliley deregulation was signed by President Bush.
The current economic situation in the US calls for a huge jobs program, one that leaves us with a much improved and more efficient infrastructure when it is over.
Deficit spending can work politically, too. In 1982, President Reagan was facing the S&L scandal, 10% unemployment, 14% inflation, and interest rates as high as 21%. Reagan sat at a low 35% approval rating as he approached the 1983 State of the Union.
How did Reagan get out of this mess? In large part, it was deficit spending. He increased government spending to levels never before seen in our Country’s history. The economy gradually improved, Reagan won reelection, and that moment in history is largely forgotten. (The debt took a while to pay off, but no one recalls that today.)
Deficit spending is not my preferred way to go, but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. These are desperate times.
DID YOU KNOW? 18% of Johnson County 11th graders report binge drinking in the past 30 days. (Source: ICCSD Iowa Youth Survey data.)
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
Sullivan’s Salvos 3-30-10
I had the opportunity to watch President Obama’s speech at the UI Field House last Thursday. What a great opportunity! I am glad the President chose Johnson County as the location for this event.
Speaking of historic events, one year ago, the Iowa Supreme Court decision in the Varnum v. Brien case legalized same sex marriage in Iowa.
To commemorate the one-year anniversary of this event, a rally will be held on the Pentacrest from 10-11 AM on Tuesday, March 30.
Please note – it has been a year. Hundreds of same sex couples have married. The world has not come to an end. No one has been hurt by the change. There are just a few more people out there with a few more rights. It is all good.
Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it! Please take care if you are travelling, and have a safe holiday.
If you are staying in town Easter weekend, please join the volunteers at the Agape Café for a breakfast fundraiser on Saturday, April 3 from 8-11 AM at Old Brick.
For the past 17 years, the Agape Café has served a hot breakfast to low income and homeless folks every Wednesday. Now you can experience the same fine food for a free will donation.
$40 will buy enough groceries to run the café for one week. If you cannot attend, checks can be sent to the Episcopal Campus Ministry at 320 East College Street, Iowa City.
I wrote several months ago about a group of local people who are attempting to create a website that will link folks who can barter their goods and services.
This seems like a great idea, and I am now told that the website has been improved. Check it out at:
An interesting discussion has been taking place at the federal level when it comes to the deficit. GOP lawmakers are quick to voice their concerns that the Stimulus program, jobs programs, and other Obama initiatives include deficit spending.
Big deficits concern many Americans. (If it did not poll well, the GOP would not be repeating it!) Deficits SHOULD concern Americans. We obviously would prefer to have a balanced budget.
But the issue is not so simple. Just as individual families borrow to do big things (such as buying homes), so does the federal government. The whole key is deciding – when is it worth going into debt?
Going into debt to fund an ill-advised war in Iraq made no sense to me then, and makes less sense to me 8 years later.
Personally, I do not have a problem increasing the deficit if it puts people back to work, stabilizes the economy, and creates valuable public infrastructure. This is exactly what FDR accomplished through the large public works programs of the 1930s.
Also similar to the 30s – we need to couple any deficit spending with reregulation of the financial sector, so that future Presidents are not faced with the mess President Obama inherited. Unfortunately, we forgot the 1930s by the time Graham-Leach-Bliley deregulation was signed by President Bush.
The current economic situation in the US calls for a huge jobs program, one that leaves us with a much improved and more efficient infrastructure when it is over.
Deficit spending can work politically, too. In 1982, President Reagan was facing the S&L scandal, 10% unemployment, 14% inflation, and interest rates as high as 21%. Reagan sat at a low 35% approval rating as he approached the 1983 State of the Union.
How did Reagan get out of this mess? In large part, it was deficit spending. He increased government spending to levels never before seen in our Country’s history. The economy gradually improved, Reagan won reelection, and that moment in history is largely forgotten. (The debt took a while to pay off, but no one recalls that today.)
Deficit spending is not my preferred way to go, but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. These are desperate times.
DID YOU KNOW? 18% of Johnson County 11th graders report binge drinking in the past 30 days. (Source: ICCSD Iowa Youth Survey data.)
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
March 21, 2010
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/23/10
If it has not arrived already, you should be getting your Census form very soon. Please fill it out accurately and send it back!
An accurate Census makes a big difference financially for local governments. It is estimated that approximately $3500 comes back to a community for each individual that is counted. Fail to count 1000 folks, and you have essentially missed out on $3.5 million!
So please do your part, and submit your census data. It is important for all of us!
I am frustrated by the recent suggestion that the ICCSD use SILO money to keep property taxes lower.
The SILO is a sales tax, and is more regressive than property taxes. (Despite the opinions of some in the community, this fact is NOT in dispute. The vast majority of all economists agree.)
So by using the SILO, the ICCSD would, in effect, be shifting the expense of running our schools from wealthier people to poorer people. I opposed the SILO tax in the first place, and I oppose this shift of funds.
The ICCSD talks constantly about the difficulties they face in dealing with students who live in poverty. Why exacerbate the situation?
The Board of Supervisors had some interesting discussions regarding the creation of Level C roads.
A bit of background: most county roads are Level A. Some little-used roadways are signed “Level B – Minimum Maintenance”. These are usually dirt roads, and Johnson County attempts to minimize the amount of time and money that go into maintaining these roadways. There are currently about 45 miles of Level B roadways in Johnson County.
Level C roads are not commonly used in Iowa, but appear more frequently in the western US. Level C roads are maintained at the same low level as Level B roads. Level C roads remain public roadways, but private landowners are given permission to gate and lock the roads.
Locally, some farmers would like the option of Level C roads. They use these roads to access their farm fields. Unfortunately, some folks choose to tear these roads up with ATVs and/or mud-running trucks. They create ruts and damage that cause a hardship for the farmers. I am sympathetic to these farmers, who are simply trying to do their jobs.
That said, I am opposed to the use of Level Cs for several reasons:
1. A better option exists. We can just vacate county interest in the road, and give it to the adjacent landowners. This way, the landowners can block the road, but the county collects taxes on the land, and is absolved of all liability. Some Level B roads are very close to cities, and should be preserved for future use. Most are in very rural areas, and would serve everyone better if they were just converted to private driveways. I firmly believe Johnson County needs to consider vacating several miles worth of Level B roads.
2. Level C roads transfer the control of a public asset (the road) to a private citizen. Level Cs remain public property; how can we justify awarding private control? This would just amount to privatizing the profits but socializing the costs.
3. If we give keys only to adjacent landowners, we are picking and choosing a select group of citizens that have permission to use a public asset. What about a farmer who does not own adjacent land, but uses the road as a cut through between two parcels? Shouldn’t he have a right to a key? What about hunters who want to use it as a cut through? What about snowmobilers who use the road? I do not think it is wise to begin choosing who gets access and who doesn’t.
4. If we give landowners the option of Level C roads, everyone would choose it. Who wouldn’t want to limit the traffic that goes by their property? I would imagine that we would soon be asked to switch all 45 miles of Level B to Level C. Sure, we would not be required to do so… but what justification would we use for saying no?
The Board decided to pass on Level C roads for now. I hope the topic never returns. Meanwhile, I hope we consider vacating more Level B roads. I firmly believe that this would allow the county to put valuable resources toward the roads that really need it, and to relieve the taxpayers from subsidizing what is essentially private property.
In case you missed this news: Historians criticized proposed revisions to the new Texas social studies curriculum, saying that many of the changes are historically inaccurate and that they would affect textbooks and classrooms far beyond the state's borders.
The changes, which were preliminarily approved last week by the Texas Board of Education, will reach define what textbooks must include and what teachers must cover.
The curriculum plays down the role of Thomas Jefferson among the founding fathers, questions the separation of church and state, and claims that the U.S. government was infiltrated by Communists during the Cold War.
I’m not sure I even need to comment on this. I find it amazing on one hand, but sadly unsurprising on the other.
DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 157 people for OWI in 2009.
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
March 12, 2010
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/16/10
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! I have shared this before, but Saint Patrick’s Day is a very important day to my family and I. We are very proud of our Irish heritage.
Here is a little Irish Blessing to start your Saint Patrick’s celebration:
May your troubles be less,
And your blessings be more.
And nothing but happiness,
Come through your door.
On a much more somber note, March 19, 2010 marks the beginning of the 8th year of war in Iraq. President Obama has promised that all combat troops will be out of Iraq by August 31 of this year, with all troops out by December 31. It is up to us to hold him to this promise.
To mark this occasion, there will be a pair of vigils: from 7-8 AM and from 7-8 PM. Interested folks should meet at the Pentacrest; call 354-1925 for more information.
The Board recently passed nine amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance, the document that sets our Planning and Zoning rules. (See our website for full details.)
I am most proud of a change we made to disallow new homes from being constructed on dirt roads. It passed 3-1, with Supervisor Neuzil absent.
Residences on dirt roads are nightmares for the farmers who have to work around them. Nothing exacerbates the urban-rural conflict like allowing more of these. I am glad this change was made.
In a recent edition (2/23) of Salvos, I wrote about populism and how it relates to the Tea Party movement.
In the 3/9 edition of the Register, UI Professor, Historian, and all-around great guy Shel Stromquist writes a much better piece on the same topic! I urge you to check it out.
I had a great visit to the City of Tiffin recently. As you may or may not know, Tiffin is among the fastest-growing cities in Iowa, and given the great location, is poised to grow even more.
This leads to several challenges. Lots of new residents demand lots of new services. Long time residents want to maintain the small town they love. Increases in traffic, police calls, sewer and water usage, etc. present challenges. A new high school is a great addition, but brings several expenses and little money to city coffers. Everything costs more, but everyone wants to pay less.
Through it all, a dedicated City Council tries to steer the ship with few staff on minimal pay. I certainly appreciate everything that all of our small-town councilors do, especially the fine folks in Tiffin!
Speaking of cities, I have been watching the debate over the franchise fees in Iowa City and Coralville. While I understand the desire of these cities to diversify their revenues, I do not favor these taxes. The franchise fees will disproportionately affect our poorest residents.
I remember former State Representative (former Mayor and Supervisor, too, for that matter!) Dick Myers eloquently defending the vote to cut the sales tax on utilities. Even though the State coffers needed the money, Myers could not justify an additional tax on a necessary utility that significantly impacted the poor. He led the fight to get this regressive tax repealed.
Local governments love to hire consultants. I have an idea: let’s all band together and hire Dick Myers! I think we would get a better product in the end.
The Iowa Legislature is wrapping up the shortest session in memory, and I have several thoughts:
*Neither party has anything to fear from organized labor. Democrats, in particular, should be embarrassed for not doing more for working people.
*I appreciate the fact that the majority of the Democrats in the Iowa Legislature agree with the Iowa Supreme Court, and recognize that civil rights should never be put to a vote of the majority.
*I find it amazing that we cannot get enough votes to protect bicyclists. Do the people in the bigger, faster, stronger, safer vehicles really need more advantages?
*This is very “inside baseball”, but the Local Option Sales Tax TIF might be the worst legislation in the history of this state. Senator Gronstal should be ashamed!
*There is some very good common sense stuff in the reorganization bill. Kudos to the Legislature for accomplishing this.
*The most offensive moment in this session? When Representative Matt Windschitl (R-Missouri Valley) suggested that rather than punishing offenders, victims of domestic violence should be forced to take self-defense classes. Victim blaming to the extreme!
*My own State Senator, Joe Bolkcom (D-Iowa City) had a great session, focusing on the lack of accountability in Iowa’s many tax credit programs. Thanks, Joe!
DID YOU KNOW? 18% of Johnson County 11th graders report being physically bullied in the past 30 days. (Source: ICCSD Iowa Youth Survey data.)
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
March 6, 2010
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/9/10
There is a change coming to rural parts of the US, including the rural portions of Johnson County. This is a quiet, slow-moving, and devastating change. No, it is not disease, insects, or some other plague. It is wealth transfer.
Most folks do not realize it, but the US is undergoing the most massive transfer of wealth in the history of the planet. There are lots of people in their 80s and older, and many of them are nearing the end of life. As they age, their assets are being passed down to the next generation. On the farm, this becomes a huge problem.
For the most part, the folks inheriting the wealth are not farmers, and they do not live in the small communities where the farm sits. Why does that matter?
Let’s use a hypothetical Lone Tree couple as an example. While this is all made up, the example should ring true. You have an 85-year-old couple who farmed 300 acres outside of Lone Tree their whole lives. They have two adult children – a son in Des Moines and a daughter in Chicago. Five adult grandkids are spread around the US.
The Dad coached little league, spent ten years on the Board of the local F&M bank, served twenty years as a Fremont Township Trustee, and is a member of the Lone Tree American Legion. The Mom was a Cub Scout Den Mother, a 4H leader, a Deacon in the Presbyterian Church, and a regular volunteer with Lone Tree Schools and Pioneer Village.
The couple was active in church activities, and even in older age could be counted on to support every school fundraiser. They had a blast selling tomatoes and sweet corn at the Lone Tree Farmer’s Market. Every time the Lone Tree Volunteer Fire Department held a pancake breakfast or chili supper, they slipped an extra $20 into the donation box.
After long, full, wonderful lives, they pass away. The children in Des Moines and Chicago are in the final ten years of their own careers; they cannot drop everything to return to Fremont Township to farm. The 5 grandkids do not know anything about farming, and the idea of living in rural Iowa scares them.
So, the son in Des Moines decides to sell his half. The daughter in Chicago just cannot bear to sell the family farm, so she decides to hire a farm manager and rent out her half.
But who gets what? Mom & Dad never really spelled it out. About half of the ground is prime farmland, a quarter was hay and pasture, and a quarter included the house, barns, and some woods. The daughter wants to keep the house, but also wants the good land, because the rest is much tougher to rent. The son wants to sell the good farmland, because it will bring a better price. They end up chunking the family farm into three sections, two of which are sold and one that is rented.
The son gets $600,000 cash after the sale. He pays off his house in Des Moines, buys a new car in Urbandale, and gives $20,000 to each of his three kids. Even after all that, he has plenty to put in his Des Moines-based bank.
The daughter gets $100,000 cash, and begins renting the land. A local farmer pays cash rent to her. All the money is deposited in her Chicago-based bank.
Can you see what happened? The land is still in Fremont Township, but the money is all gone. Money now flows from Fremont Township to Chicago. The monetary capital has been transferred.
Perhaps even more importantly, the Legion lost a member; the bank and restaurant lost customers; the fire department lost donors; and the school, nursing home, and church lost volunteers. The human capital is gone.
I used a fictional couple and Lone Tree as examples, but this scenario is playing out all over the Midwest. Unfortunately, the story is often sad, and there are no good solutions.
What can we take away from this? I hope that younger locals will recognize how much this couple has contributed to the community, and do their best to pick up the slack. Meanwhile, if you have ideas, please share them. I think we need good suggestions in order to avert a real crisis.
The Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County is currently accepting donations of new or used baseball and softball equipment for boys and girls age 5 to 13. Items can be dropped off at 2105 Broadway St. in Iowa City, or contact James (354-7989; james-mims@ncjc.org ) to arrange for a pick-up.
Needed equipment includes: Mitts (gloves), right and left-handed. Batting gloves. Stirrups or stirrup socks. Regulation Bats. Baseball shoes (rubber cleats). Equipment/bat bags. Regulation sliding shorts and kneepads (required for girls in softball). Baseball pants.
Please donate and help a child make the most of his/her little league experience.
DID YOU KNOW? The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office took 23,000 911 calls in 2009.
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
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/2/10
I continue to be amazed by how little attention anyone pays to local government. My bet is that less than 2-3% of the voting age population in Johnson County could name all 5 Supervisors. My guess is that City Council members would be slightly better known in their home communities, but not much; School Board members would be known by virtually no one.
It is also frustrating the way the bodies are lumped together – you hear people say, “The School Board feels,” or “The Council thinks,” when in reality, there are widely divergent views among the members. I have only seen 5-6 articles in my 6 years on the Board that really attempted to flush out the differences between individual Supervisors, and those were all in the Solon Economist/North Liberty Leader.
The problems with this lack of information should be evident. One of the biggest issues is a distinct lack of accountability. There are some pretty poor votes being cast out there, and no one seems to know. Similarly, there are some real acts of courage that go completely unnoticed.
Virtually no one knows what we do or why we do it, and even fewer voice any type of well-reasoned opinion. The few people I hear from regularly fall into two distinct categories: 1) people who hate me with such a passion that they will not believe me even when I explain that I voted the way they wanted; 2) friends who tell me “good job” no matter what I have done. Both groups are very small. It is all really, really sad.
I have serious concerns about the state of our local governmental units. We are desperate for the media to take note, and for the public to get involved.
I am interested in your thoughts. Do you feel I’m being too pessimistic? Do you have any ideas for improving the situation?
A public hearing on the FY11 County budget will be held at 6 PM on Wednesday, March 3 at the County Administration Building.
Following the hearing the budget can be lowered, but not increased. A formal vote on the budget will be held at 5:30 PM on March 11; the budget is due to the State by March 15.
Some budget highlights…
*The budget is actually significantly lower this year ($75 million) than last ($84 million); most of that change is a result of the Joint Emergency Communication Center budget. They spent a lot of money on their building and equipment in FY10; their budget is lower (but not as low as I’d like) this year.
*The proposed budget contains a small tax increase in the General Fund, mostly to cover the 2.75 and 2.8% raises negotiated by the six county bargaining units. There are 4 FTEs being added to the payroll – two in the Ambulance Department and two Sheriff’s Deputies.
*A larger increase is proposed in the Rural Fund. The Board is concerned about falling behind in terms of rural road maintenance – hence the increase. At the same time, I think the Board will reduce rural taxes if enough residents speak up for lower taxes versus better roads. We’ll see what happens.
A sure sign that spring is upon us… the 27th annual Prairie Preview will be Tuesday, March 9 at Parkview Church.
If you enjoy the outdoors, care about the environment, or just have cabin fever, this event is a must-do!
The event begins at 6:30, with a 7:30 presentation by writer and photographer Bill Witt. For further info, see www.jcht.org.
The Compeer Program, with the mission of matching community volunteers with people being treated for a mental illness, is holding the 7th annual “Sound of Friendship” concert at 7 PM on March 6th at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church. Enjoy desserts plus the music of Dan Moore, Kol Shira, and the Pan American Steel Drum Band.
Tickets are $20 and available at the door. Compeer is funded entirely by the fundraising efforts of the Compeer Board of Directors. If you are unable to attend, but would like to support the event by purchasing tickets to be donated to people with mental illness, please feel free to purchase a ticket anyway and Compeer will make sure a Community Mental Health Center client receives it.
For more info, call 338-7884 extension #245 or E-mail compeer@meimhc.org.
DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County SEATS made over 103,500 trips in 2009.
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
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/2/10
I continue to be amazed by how little attention anyone pays to local government. My bet is that less than 2-3% of the voting age population in Johnson County could name all 5 Supervisors. My guess is that City Council members would be slightly better known in their home communities, but not much; School Board members would be known by virtually no one.
It is also frustrating the way the bodies are lumped together – you hear people say, “The School Board feels,” or “The Council thinks,” when in reality, there are widely divergent views among the members. I have only seen 5-6 articles in my 6 years on the Board that really attempted to flush out the differences between individual Supervisors, and those were all in the Solon Economist/North Liberty Leader.
The problems with this lack of information should be evident. One of the biggest issues is a distinct lack of accountability. There are some pretty poor votes being cast out there, and no one seems to know. Similarly, there are some real acts of courage that go completely unnoticed.
Virtually no one knows what we do or why we do it, and even fewer voice any type of well-reasoned opinion. The few people I hear from regularly fall into two distinct categories: 1) people who hate me with such a passion that they will not believe me even when I explain that I voted the way they wanted; 2) friends who tell me “good job” no matter what I have done. Both groups are very small. It is all really, really sad.
I have serious concerns about the state of our local governmental units. We are desperate for the media to take note, and for the public to get involved.
I am interested in your thoughts. Do you feel I’m being too pessimistic? Do you have any ideas for improving the situation?
A public hearing on the FY11 County budget will be held at 6 PM on Wednesday, March 3 at the County Administration Building.
Following the hearing the budget can be lowered, but not increased. A formal vote on the budget will be held at 5:30 PM on March 11; the budget is due to the State by March 15.
Some budget highlights…
*The budget is actually significantly lower this year ($75 million) than last ($84 million); most of that change is a result of the Joint Emergency Communication Center budget. They spent a lot of money on their building and equipment in FY10; their budget is lower (but not as low as I’d like) this year.
*The proposed budget contains a small tax increase in the General Fund, mostly to cover the 2.75 and 2.8% raises negotiated by the six county bargaining units. There are 4 FTEs being added to the payroll – two in the Ambulance Department and two Sheriff’s Deputies.
*A larger increase is proposed in the Rural Fund. The Board is concerned about falling behind in terms of rural road maintenance – hence the increase. At the same time, I think the Board will reduce rural taxes if enough residents speak up for lower taxes versus better roads. We’ll see what happens.
A sure sign that spring is upon us… the 27th annual Prairie Preview will be Tuesday, March 9 at Parkview Church.
If you enjoy the outdoors, care about the environment, or just have cabin fever, this event is a must-do!
The event begins at 6:30, with a 7:30 presentation by writer and photographer Bill Witt. For further info, see www.jcht.org.
The Compeer Program, with the mission of matching community volunteers with people being treated for a mental illness, is holding the 7th annual “Sound of Friendship” concert at 7 PM on March 6th at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church. Enjoy desserts plus the music of Dan Moore, Kol Shira, and the Pan American Steel Drum Band.
Tickets are $20 and available at the door. Compeer is funded entirely by the fundraising efforts of the Compeer Board of Directors. If you are unable to attend, but would like to support the event by purchasing tickets to be donated to people with mental illness, please feel free to purchase a ticket anyway and Compeer will make sure a Community Mental Health Center client receives it.
For more info, call 338-7884 extension #245 or E-mail compeer@meimhc.org.
DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County SEATS made over 103,500 trips in 2009.
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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