SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
November 21, 2019
Sullivan’s Salvos 11/26/19
In this edition:
*Happy Thanksgiving!
*Care for Yourself!
*Elected Official Attendance
*Facts Are a Stubborn Thing
*County Budget
*Did You Know?
*Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to Salvos readers! In many ways, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. (Imagine that coming from a fat guy, huh?)
Actually, I love the idea of giving thanks. It is a simple act that does not happen enough.
While I am at it – thanks to all of you who read Salvos each week. And a special thanks to those of you who follow up by sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it! Happy Thanksgiving!
*Care for Yourself!
While I love Thanksgiving, I know it can be difficult for many. Please do not let the season get the best of you! There are many resources available locally for people who may be experiencing some signs of depression.
CommUnity (formerly the Crisis Center) offers several options. There is a 24-hour Crisis Phone/Text line at 1-855-325-4296. There is also a local Crisis Line at 319-351-0140.
Other options also exist – please seek them out if you or your loved ones need them. Meanwhile, take good care!
*Elected Official Attendance
I wrote last week about the attendance of Elected Officials. The most common response I got? By far it was – “I wish the State would allow local governments to decide these things for themselves.” Amen, readers! Amen!
*Facts Are a Stubborn Thing
The Board got an email from a Solon area farmer this week, and he stated a couple things as fact that are simply untrue. I want to correct the record here and now.
First, he said, and I am paraphrasing: ”We have the worst roads and bridges. You need to double or triple the budget to catch up.”
Here are the facts: We CAN”T double or triple our budget, because Johnson County taxes the absolute maximum allowed by law for Secondary Roads. The Rural Basic transfer to roads is as high as it can possibly be. The General Basic transfer to roads is as high as it can possibly be. We couldn’t spend more if we wanted to!
What’s more, bridge conditions can be quantified. The Iowa DOT lists the condition of every bridge in every county. Guess what? Johnson County is light years ahead of our neighboring counties. While I admit we still have several bridges in need of repair, our bridges are as good as any in the state.
Finally, every county around us – Cedar, Louisa, Muscatine, Washington, Iowa – all have closed bridges in the past 15 years. Some have closed several bridges. Johnson County has not closed any. Zero.
For his second point, also wrong, he stated, “Highest taxes in Iowa.” This is not even close to being true.
The levy rate? That has gone down 3 of the last 4 years and 9 of the last 11! The Rural levy ranks 47 out of Iowa’s 99 counties. Debt? It is less than $10 million, and will go down for the 8th consecutive year!
Look, I get it. There are a lot of people in the farm community who want to attack this Board of Supervisors. It doesn’t matter what the facts are. And I am happy to have a good debate. But as the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, “You are entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts.”
If you want more information on roads, taxes, or both, please feel free to send me an email.
*County Budget
Johnson County is beginning the budgeting process for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21), which will begin July 1st of 2020. Here are some ongoing budget issues, and my take on them:
General Fund versus Rural Fund: If you pay property taxes in Johnson County, you pay into the General Fund. All taxpayers do. If you live in the unincorporated area of the county, you also pay into the Rural Fund. The Rural Fund covers expenses specific to rural residents – mostly roads, but also libraries, landfill, and a couple smaller expenses. There are wide variations between counties as to what should be supported by the rural fund. Johnson County pays for virtually everything from the General Fund. (The Rural Fund is only about $6 million of the over $100 million dollar budget.) Other counties do things differently.
Any single individual can easily create a budget: It isn’t that hard to support the programs and services you like, then cut the ones you don’t. It is much more difficult to do this for 160,000 people. Similarly, it isn’t that hard to decide how much you think you ought to pay in taxes, then apply that County wide. It is more difficult when you then recognize how many valuable services would need to be cut. Creating a budget that works for 160,000 people is challenging.
It is easy to oppose a budget. It is hard to agree on one: It isn’t that hard to criticize the decisions that get made and vote against the budget. Doing so is lazy. Acting proud of it is grandstanding. The public needs someone to step up and do the required work. Find common ground. Voting “no” without doing the work to find compromise positions is an abdication of duty.
Taxes versus services: I had a man complain to me about his taxes. The next day, his wife complained about the condition of their road. They simply can’t have it both ways! Yes, this is an anecdote, but it sums up the fundamental budgetary difficulty- people want to pay less in taxes, but get more services. It cannot be done.
Mandated versus optional services: Some services are required by law. For example, Johnson County is obligated to hold elections. Other services are optional. On the other hand, Johnson County has no legal obligation to fund DVIP. I take issue with things being portrayed this simply. Let’s go back to elections. While elections are mandated, there is no mandate as to the amount of elections staff, computer equipment, or other expenses. The law says we must do it, but it does not specify the amount we must spend. Funding DVIP (while not required) may, in fact, be a very productive way to work toward Johnson County’s mission.
Conservative budgeting versus low taxes: It is important for folks to recognize that the lowest possible tax rate does not equate to the most conservative budgeting. For example – the most conservative budgeting includes money for maintenance. You need to spend money on upkeep, whether roads, buildings, or vehicles – or you’ll spend more in the long run. And I REFUSE to buy into the idea that taxes are inherently bad! Taxes are the price of supporting a civilized society.
Want to know a government’s priorities? Look at the budget. With that said, I encourage citizens to join us at our budget meetings. (The calendar is on the website.) Meanwhile, what are your priorities? Now is the time to let us know!
*DID YOU KNOW? The annual tradition (which I detest) of a “Presidential Pardon" for a turkey began under President Reagan.
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 @ 2:23 PM
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