SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
December 5, 2019
Sullivan’s Salvos 12/10/19
In this edition:
*County Wins Award!
*Minimum Wage Thoughts
*There But for the Grace of God Go I
*Warren Endorsers
*Did You Know?
*County Wins Award!
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors and Finance Department have been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the County’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018. The awards are given by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA), a nonprofit professional association that serves more than 19,000 government finance professionals in North America.
This is the fifth consecutive year that Johnson County has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for the CAFR, and the fourth consecutive year for the PAFR.
The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting and, according to GFOA, its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. Both reports were reviewed by an impartial panel with experience in governmental accounting and financial reporting.
“These awards from GFOA demonstrate our County’s commitment to excellence in financial reporting, accounting and the quality of the financial information made available to all of our citizens,” said Dana Aschenbrenner, Johnson County Finance Director. “We hold ourselves to a very high standard in that regard and we take these duties very seriously as public servants to the residents of Johnson County.”
In order to receive the Award for Outstanding Achievement, the CAFR must meet the high standards of the program, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate a government unit’s financial story and motivate potential users to read the CAFR. To receive the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting, a government unit must publish a PAFR whose contents conform to program standards of creativity, presentation, understandability and reader appeal.
Copies of the County’s FY2018 CAFR and PAFR are available at https://www.johnson-county.com/dept_finance.aspx?id=15309.
*Minimum Wage Thoughts
There are more people than ever talking about income inequality. And that is great! To really address this issue, it will take a combination of laws and initiatives. There is no one single answer.
That said, something that simply MUST be a part of the solution is an increase in the minimum wage. Here is why:
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a great idea. It puts money in the hands of the working poor. We have an extensive program here in Johnson County designed to get people what they have coming. Here is the downside – we all pay for it.
To illustrate: if I work at a job that pays me $15/hour, I am barely able to get by. But I can make it. Meanwhile, my employer carries the full cost of me getting by.
If I work at a job that pays $9/hour but I get $4000 in EITC? Sure, it helps! But it has only lifted the effective income to $11/hour. PLUS, the employer that only pays $9/hour in the first place gets a big break. Why? Because you and I and every taxpayer pays for the EITC. That doesn’t even account for the bureaucracy necessary to collect the taxes and redistribute the money.
Doesn’t it make more sense to simply require the employer in the second scenario to pay more? Our first employer, who pays a decent wage, subsidizes the bad actor. Why do we reward this?
Corporate responsibility is at the lowest point since the election of Teddy Roosevelt. It is time that corporations step up and pay decent wages. We don’t need to subsidize it; we need to REQUIRE it!
The easiest and simplest way to take on income inequality is to raise the minimum wage. It is not the only thing that needs to happen. But it might be the most important thing.
*There But for the Grace of God Go I
I heard this a lot as a child. My Grandmother, a devout Catholic, would say it in hushed tones. I knew what it meant, but I never really thought deeply about it. Sometimes the message was, “This could easily be us.” Other times, the message was, “This probably won’t ever be us, but just the same, we are not going to judge.”
Then one Sunday in the early 2000s I heard Mark Martin, my former Pastor at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, speak about the idea of grace. Suddenly, the phrase came back to me, and it really clicked.
I was reminded of this again recently when a friend asked me about other people who might choose to run for Supervisor. “I am not really worried about it,” I said. “Why?” asked my friend. “Because I feel like I give this job the best effort I can,” I said. “I will probably get whatever outcome I deserve, win or lose.”
I think I surprised myself with that answer. I do certainly believe that hard work is important. And I think hard work generally gets folks good results. Typically, you get what you earn. But not always. Sometimes it is important to remember that everything we have – and do not have- comes via the grace of God.
We live in a world where we are measured in many ways. How much money you have, your sales, your grades, your military rank, the number of votes you get, wins and losses, etc. People have obviously worked hard for those things. There are also people who never had the same chance. People have accidents. They have adverse childhood experiences. They have disabilities. They are born into deep poverty. There but for the grace of God go I.
So sure, work hard. That is a good thing. But always remember – there but for the grace of God go I!
*Warren Endorsers
Here is a list of the elected officials in Johnson County that have endorsed Elizabeth Warren. It is a great group of people, and we would love to add your name to the list! Please let me know if you would like to join us!
State Senator Joe Bolkcom, State Senator Zach Wahls, State Representative Mary Mascher, former State Representative David Osterberg, County Recorder Kim Painter, County Supervisor Rod Sullivan, Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton, Tiffin City Councilor Mike Ryan, and Solon City Councilor Lauren Whited.
*DID YOU KNOW? There are many additional folks who have endorsed Elizabeth Warren. To see a bigger list, visit:
https://iowastartingline.com/2020-endorsements/
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 5:29 PM
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