SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
February 23, 2017
Sullivan’s
Salvos 2/28/17
In this edition:
*GOP Lies
*GOP Cruelty
*Accountability
*Budget Highlights
*Did You Know?
*GOP Lies
Ankeny State Senator Jack Whitver, writing in the Des Moines
Register: “Senate Republicans want to make sure Iowa’s state and
local governments have the tools necessary to provide services while executing
their responsibilities effectively and efficiently for the Iowa taxpayer. It is
imperative we are always looking at ways to make the public sector more nimble,
economically sound and responsive to the needs of Iowans throughout the state.”
What
a load of crap! If Whitver REALLY wanted us to have “tools” and be “nimble”,
there is NO WAY he would support HF295, which guts local control.
There
are plenty of lies being told by Republicans in the Iowa Legislature, but this
statement is so mendacious that it deserves to be called out separately for
being such a bold lie.
*GOP Cruelty
I
am not a big fan of the lies, but I am even more upset by the cruelty of
Republicans in the Iowa Legislature. Some take great joy in hurting others,
simply because they can.
I
honestly hope they see the light. The world does not need more cruelty. These
folks are going to be judged some day, and I do not mean by the voters of Iowa.
*Accountability
We
have Trump in the White House and Republicans in the Iowa Statehouse hell bent
on hurting regular people. I am attempting to determine how to proceed in our
new reality; you may be doing the same. After considerable thought, I have
decided on emphasizing accountability.
What
does that mean? I am going to redouble my efforts to ensure accountability at
every turn. I am going to hold myself accountable. I am going to hold my
friends accountable. I am going to hold my governments accountable.
I
do not want the next four years to pass with questions as to what might have
been. When I look back, I want to be able to say I did what I could. I am going
to demand accountability. I hope you will join me!
*Budget Highlights
The FY18 budget is finished, and frankly, it is pretty tight.
There are many things I would like to do that we simply can’t afford. If you
want to blame someone, blame every Iowa Legislator who voted for the Commercial
Property Tax cuts of a few years ago.
How are those changes affecting you? A residential property in
Iowa City will see a 3.1% increase in County tax askings this year. Commercial
property taxes in Iowa City are only going up about .7%. A property zoned
multiresidential (apartments, mobile home parks, nursing homes) will go down
17.2%. The taxes have been shifted from these businesses to residential payors.
Frankly, I think this is tragic.
The Public Hearing on the County Budget is Thursday, February 23
at 5:30 PM in the Boardroom at the County Administration Building. As always,
the public is welcome. A few highlights:
Perhaps the biggest news is that the County Attorney’s Office is
likely moving out of the Courthouse. While we do not yet have a formal
agreement, the plan is to move that office across the street to the new MidWest
One building. Again, we do not have an agreement yet, but we have set aside
funds that should allow us to begin negotiations.
This move is critical. The Courthouse has been undersized for 40
years. The legal system in Johnson County is broken. Justice delayed is justice
denied, and unfortunately, justice here is delayed. Johnson County is entitled
to additional judges and other court staff, but we have never had anywhere to
put them. Voters had an opportunity to fix this, and while 56% voted yes, we
did not get the magic 60%. So we must do something different. While moving the
County Attorney will make things decidedly more awkward for that office, it
should greatly improve access to the courts for the people of Johnson County.
The
Board once again chose to invest heavily in the Ambulance Service. We are
adding an additional truck and many more man-hours. These investments should
allow us to maintain our response times while dealing with a rapidly increasing
call volume.
The
Board set aside $1 million to get started on a Crisis Intervention Training
(CIT) facility. CIT, you may recall, is a training that local law enforcement
officers are undergoing. The idea is to divert people from the jail and
emergency room. The training works, but in order to divert folks from these two
places, officers need another alternative. Right now, that alternative does not
exist. We do not have a location identified, nor do we have a design. But we
will likely need this money in order to get started on something during FY18.
The
public voted overwhelmingly for the Conservation Bond in 2008. FY18 will see
several large projects funded in part by the bond. This was a bit of a mixed
bag – Johnson County secured millions in matching grants for these projects,
from a variety of sources. The problem is, we were forced to do much of it this
year or forfeit the matching money. So FY18 will see the creation of a wetland
mitigation bank, lake restoration at Kent Park, and work on the Hoover Trail,
which will connect Iowa City to Cedar Rapids via North Liberty and Solon.
Road
projects are always a big part of the budget, and FY18 will be no exception.
Expect to see major projects on 965, IWV, and Ely Road.
The
overall budget is about $110,000,000, down two million from a year ago. Per our
policy, we will end FY18 with 30% of our tax askings in reserve. And even
though we are looking to bond for about $18,000,000, our level of indebtedness
at the end of FY18 drops to about $10,000,000. (Our limits would allow
borrowing up to $600m!)
Those
are some of the FY18 budget highlights. Obviously, these descriptions are very
brief. If you want to know more about these or any other topics, please give me
a call.
*DID YOU KNOW?
Contrary to what you hear all the time, property tax rates in Johnson
County are NOT particularly high. Out of Iowa’s 99 Counties, Johnson County
ranks: #31 in General Fund rate, #47 in Rural Fund rate, and #33 in General +
Rural. (Source: Iowa State Association of Counties.)
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
"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
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:33 PM
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