Legislative forum: A warning to counties

     Due to the wide variety of questions asked during the Jan. 31 legislative forum, the Monticello Express will be publishing the article in two parts in our Feb. 5 and Feb. 12 issues.

   Sen. Carrie Koelker and Rep. Steve Bradley were met with a room full of people on Jan. 31 as Jones County Economic Development hosted a legislative forum in Monticello.

   There were questions from the public covering a wide array of topics, but the most prominent theme centered on the legislators pushing for additional property tax relief for Iowans. The relief came with a warning from Koelker: “County budgets, sharpen your pencils.”

   The conversation started when a Monticello resident asked the legislators whether they think “rural residents should pay the same tax millage rate as city folks?”

   Koelker said all residents should be paying for services, whether rural or urban.

   “People in town pay a much higher tax rate than people in the country. It's just a fact,” the woman said. “I'm married to a farmer, so I happen to know this is true.”

   She said more rural residents with their heavy machinery and equipment drive the gravel roads than people who live in town.

   “They also come to town to get their groceries. They're using our city streets, too,” she continued. “I just paid a special assessment for a street I'm not very happy with.”

   Koelker admitted she does not like to get into a match between rural vs. urban, but she does represent 49 rural communities compared to another state senator who might only represent a portion of Des Moines.

   The conversation then turned to reasons the legislature is working to provide even further tax relief for Iowans.

   Koelker said a few years ago, the state took the mental health levy off the backs of taxpayers.

   “We were hoping that would be a relief for taxpayers and we are hearing loudly from taxpayers about their property taxes, assessments, and things like that,” she said. “Some counties are going hog wild at spending with their growth at zero. Their administrations are going up and they're just going to keep rising assessments on the backs of all the taxpayers to help lift that bill. And it's not fair to the rural Iowan. So that's why Iowans came to us begging for help.”

   She admitted property tax relief is a controversial topic.

   “We're going to have to look at taxes, we're going to have to look at counties, we're going to have to look at assessments; we're going to have to look at all of that,” pushed Koelker. “And then you're talking about libraries, hospitals, schools, swimming pools, and everything else that everyone just keeps adding onto the taxpayer. People cannot keep up. People are drowning trying to keep up. We're not trying to get into it with county governments or city governments; that's not what we're trying to do. But at the end of the day, we have taxpayers begging us to step in. We to do something, but it's a very complex system.”

   The Monticello resident said despite the state’s efforts to alleviate taxes, her city (Monticello) and county (Jones County) keep adding more.

   “That's why it's important to elect people from the bottom up: city council, county board of supervisors, school board,” urged Koelker. “Everyone wants to blame the governor; everyone wants to blame the legislature for all this stuff and you're chomping at me about a county board of supervisor bill that really should be happening at a county board of supervisors’ meeting. But at the end of the day, this is going to have to be a local battle that you’re going to have to fight, and not just expect us legislators to do it.”

   “I'm listening to people complain about taxes,” commented another Monticello resident. “I've lived in Monticello for years, and we've passed, by a vote, three bond measures that come off my monthly taxes, two for the school and one for the sewer plant. We have to stop doing it to ourselves, guys.”

   “Make sure you're dialing in and putting people on your school board and your city councils and your county boards of supervisors who you trust, who you know are fiscally responsible, who you align with because some of them have a big spending spree,” urged Koelker. “That's not very conservative.”