SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
November 22, 2023
Sullivan’s Salvos 11/28/23
In this edition:
*Salvos Timing
*Supervisors Not Alike
*Budget
*Did You Know?
*Salvos Timing
A big change is coming to Salvos; hopefully it will increase the utility of what you read here. Bottom line, here is what you will see beginning with the next edition of Salvos:
1. Salvos will still show up in your inbox sometime on Wednesday of each week. That does not change.
2. The Salvos you get each Wednesday used to be dated for the following Tuesday. So a Salvos that came out on Wednesday, December 6 would be dated December 12. That will now be dated the following day. So the Salvos you get on Wednesday, December 6 (next week) will now be dated December 7. Moving forward, the 13th will be dated the 14th, the 20th will be dated the 21st, and so forth.
You may ask, “Why did you do it that way in the first place?” Good question. I started doing this in December of 2004. That was a long time ago, and a lot has changed since then. It just so happened that right before I first got elected, I was chatting with someone in the magazine business. I asked him why magazines on store shelves are always dated a month ahead.
He explained that this simply reflected basic customer behavior. People are more likely to buy a magazine dated in the future than one they fear may be “yesterday’s news.” Several studies have demonstrated the same thing.
I kept that in mind as I began writing Salvos. Back then, I was sending it on Thursdays. And Salvos often refers to community events, which tend to occur predominantly Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. So if you didn’t see Salvos right away, you might miss those events.
Also remember, in 2004, many people still only had internet access at work. There was a decent chance that if you were out on Friday, you would not see Salvos until the following week at work. Then, in keeping with the advice of my magazine insider, I chose Tuesday instead of Monday.
With all of that in mind, I decided to date Salvos with the next Tuesday’s date. This was intended to give people lots of notice when I mentioned those community events. So for almost 20 years, I have tried to “write ahead” with the idea that people are seeing Salvos on Tuesdays. But that is not reality.
Over time, virtually everyone got a smart phone. So the way in which I write Salvos – several days ahead – was causing me more and more difficulties. (For my Jewish friends, this helps explain my Hannukah screw up!) This change will make it a bit more difficult for me to deal with late-breaking news, but it should improve the timeliness of the product.
Thanks for indulging me, and thanks for reading!
*Supervisors Not Alike!
This ran in Salvos way back in 2011. I edited out a part that wasn’t relevant any longer, but the rest of the piece stands the test of time. It also ran last year.
I get a couple E-mails every week that refer to “you Supervisors” and then take us to task for doing (or not doing) something.
I find these E-mails extremely frustrating, because they only serve to demonstrate that the public does not see the huge differences of opinion that exist on the Board.
I blame much of this on the media. First, we are not covered much. Secondly, we are rarely ever asked about the differences of opinion that are clear to anyone watching a meeting. The public deserves to know what debates are taking place in their name, and exactly what their elected representatives think.
Elected bodies are made up of individuals. Yes, you get lots of unanimous votes to approve the agenda or send a letter thanking a volunteer. Those votes are perfunctory.
As my friend and former Iowa City Councilor Larry Baker once said, “95% of all votes could be cast by a trained monkey. You elect people for the 5% that really matter.” Amen. Larry nailed it.
So, dear citizens – pay attention. You will not get any help from the media – you are going to need to dig. But meetings are all online. I urge you to tune in. Find out what individual elected officials really feel, and ask why they voted the way they did.
You will find that Boards and Councils are made up of individuals – VERY different individuals!
*Budget
Johnson County is beginning the budgeting process for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25), which will begin July 1st of 2024. 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.
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.
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. For example, Johnson County has no legal obligation to fund DVIP. This is a very real phenomenon, and Board Members need to be aware of it. On the other hand, 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 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 evil! 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? Johnson County has never had a violation of its Human Rights Ordinance, although the County Attorney’s Office has had to explain the ordinance on a few occasions where it appeared a violation could be imminent. It has been a good deterrent.
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.
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 rodsullivan29@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 2:51 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home