SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
March 4, 2021
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/9/21
In this edition:
*RIP Lolly Eggers
*What to do About the Iowa Legislature?
*Conference Boards
*Cancel Culture?
*Did You Know?
*RIP Lolly Eggers
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Lolly Eggers of Iowa City. Lolly was an Iowa City institution, working at the Iowa City Public Library from 1969-1994, and spending the last 20 years of that as the Library’s Director. She was also an accomplished historian and author.
Iowa City has long had the best library of any small city in the US. This was not even really questioned in the City’s application for UNESCO City of Literature status. Why has Iowa City always had such a great library? Why are the other libraries in Johnson County similarly impressive? Because of Lolly Eggers, that’s why. She set the tone. She was determined to be the best, and she accomplished it. There are things the public demands now (like Sunday service) that they didn’t know they wanted until Lolly showed us what a library could be.
Lolly was a force on the local political scene as well – very involved in the Democratic Party, League of Women Voters, and the Johnson County Commission on the Status of Women. I was very honored to have Lolly’s backing in my first run for Supervisor. I have no doubt that her support helped me a great deal!
Lolly and I only lived a few blocks from each other, and I frequently walked the dog past her place. It was always great when she was out and we could discuss the events of the day. But I didn’t need to walk by to know what was on her mind! She emailed me frequently with her thoughts, and definitely made me a better public servant.
RIP Lolly. You will be missed!
*What to do About the Iowa Legislature?
As you know, Republicans in the Iowa Legislature are doing their damndest to attack our most vulnerable citizens and remove local control wherever it exists. I have had several Johnson County residents ask me what they can do about it.
Unfortunately, the answer is not very much. I came up with four things:
1. Call friends/family in other parts of Iowa and ask them to call their own Legislators.
2. Thank your Legislators.
3. Donate to your Legislators.
4. Ask your Legislators if they have additional ideas.
Sorry, but that’s all I have. These are tough times in the Iowa Legislature. A letter writer in the Register recently said it very well: We have government by the bullies, for the bullies. So true. And so shameful.
*Conference Boards
The City and County Conference Boards met recently to discuss the performances and budgets of the Iowa City and Johnson County Assessors.
Assessors are the folks who determine the value of all our taxable real estate. Every county has an Assessor; so do several of the larger cities. In some areas, notably Des Moines/Polk County and Waterloo/Black Hawk County, the City Assessor’s Office has been absorbed by the County Assessor’s Office.
The Iowa City Assessor handles all the property inside Iowa City proper; the Johnson County Assessor does everything else. The IC Assessor is responsible for just under $7 billion in appraised value; the JC Assessor is responsible for just under $9 billion. (Meaning the actual total assessed value in Johnson County is just under $16 billion.) Both serve about 77,000 residents.
Houses, businesses, farms and the like all go up and down in value. Because Johnson County has historically been viewed as a very good place to live, property values here have gone up steadily. When property values across the country crashed as the housing bubble broke in ‘08, property values in Johnson County remained fairly flat. Since then, the rise has been precipitous.
Property tax-levying governmental units (county, cities, schools) are represented on the Conference Boards. So the IC Assessor’s Office is overseen by Johnson County, Iowa City, and the ICCSD. The JC Assessor’s Office is overseen by Johnson County, ten cities (all but IC), and ten school districts (including the ICCSD).
Now for some very good news: Assessors are measured for accuracy and ranked every year. The IC Assessor’s Office and JC Assessor’s Office routinely rank in the top 2-3 of about 115 offices statewide. That is correct – Iowa City and Johnson County are the best! In all my years as a Supervisor, Johnson County has finished number 1 six times, number 2 five times, and number 3 four times.
In addition to being number one as a simple matter of pride, we should be extremely pleased by these results. This means that property taxpayers are likely paying their fair share. You are not likely paying too much, nor are you paying too little, relative to all property taxpayers. That is a very good thing.
I know, I know. You all think your assessed value is too high. There is an easy way to check this. Would you sell your property today at assessed value? Most folks I know would not; they think it is worth more. There is your answer. If you DO think it is too high, assessed values are easy to appeal. Just call the appropriate Assessor’s Office.
We are being well served by our Assessors. Congratulations to Iowa City Assessor Brad Comer, Johnson County Assessor Tom Van Buer, and all their employees on these tremendous accomplishments!
*Cancel Culture?
The GOP is up in arms about “Cancel Culture,” whatever that means. Jim Jordan even claims it is the biggest threat facing America today, which is pretty wild when you consider that half a million people have died from COVID!
The Iowa Legislature is working like crazy to police speech, even suggesting that laws be passed to punish people for saying things that were legal when they said them! (This is called ex post facto law, and is unconstitutional.) It certainly seems that if someone in Iowa is getting “cancelled,” it is those associated with our Regents Institutions. Skyer Wheeler complains about “Cancel Culture”, but what is his bill to ban Iowa schools from using the 1619 Project?
So what do they mean when they say, “Cancel Culture”? As far as I can tell, they simply do not want anyone to be held accountable for what they say. My conservative friends understand the First Amendment. They understand that it applies to the government, and rarely impacts private business. Unfortunately, many other conservatives do not understand the First Amendment. They seem to think it means you can say whatever you want with no repercussions. That has never been the case.
Some examples: Twitter has a right to block customers who violate their terms of use. People have a right to boycott My Pillow. People can choose to shop at a store because they like the owner’s politics, or they can do the opposite. Dr. Suess’ foundation has control over his creative works; they can stop publishing any book they wish. A city council can remove a Confederate statue. (If you don’t like it, run for office, get elected, and put it back.)
I do agree that as a country, we tend to rush to judgement. The best example I can think of that illustrates our collective rush to tar and feather others is the whole Carson King episode from a couple years ago. That should serve as a good example as to why we should all chill.
But I have three easy rules of thumb when it comes to speech:
1. Take your time and seek the truth.
2. Is what you are saying kind? If not, is it necessary?
3. Keep in mind who has the power.
4. Is your speech punching up or punching down?
I think that if you keep those three things in mind, you will not need to worry much about the so-called “Cancel Culture.” Meanwhile, conservatives will continue to find interesting targets for their outrage.
*DID YOU KNOW? While the vast majority of the city of West Branch is in Cedar County, there is one housing development (containing 30 houses) that is in the city of West Branch, but also in Johnson County.
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 @ 11:20 AM
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