…not of the world (that I know of), but of the fiscal year. Budget workshop has come and gone, and the first of two approval meetings has completed. More that 3 dozen people spoke at the first budget hearing, and close to one hundred people attended. The message was clear: don’t raise our taxes. The reality is that this is an unrealistic goal. The commission has tasked the county administrator to find $8 million to shave from the budget in order to keep milliage rates the same as last year. If this goal is achieved, tax rates will remain the same- but the bill still goes up.

For many years I have spoken before the board on many issues- most of which revolve around taxes. Though many decisions are made by our commission that affect spending habits in the community, they are not fully to blame for our fiscal woes. We, too, share responsibility. Our expenditures are a two-way street, and unfortunately both sides have ignored their responsibilities.

Doug Smith, in the last meeting, made a fantastic (albeit long winded) point about how there is a constituency for everything. Pickleball was the example: build more pickleball courts, tell the tennis guys to pick up their balls and go home! Paraphrased of course, but the image holds true. Environmentalists want to buy land for conservation. Slow/No Grothers want to buy land to prevent building, golfers love their new hang out and beach bunnies enjoy their new food sources. I, too, like to see when the county engages in certain activities.

We have all lost sight of a basic fact: it all costs money, and that money is Taxes.

May I propose a challenge:

Constituents- before you go to the commission seeking a new expenditure, ask yourself if this is something you would reach into your own pocket for. At the end of the day, that is exactly what you are proposing. If we want to buy it with county dollars, then the county must first collect the dollars for future distribution. Many projects are worth the buy: EMS/Fire, police, utilities and infrastructure. Even luxury goods (when kept to a reasonable level) are worthy of investment. Parks, amenities, and special events. But ultimately, we must keep the responsible part in mind. High spending cannot continue.

Commissioners- Leadership is difficult. If you want to be leaders, you will need to make difficult decisions and many times, say things that people don’t want to hear yet they need to. Every time a constituent comes to you with an expenditure request, maybe we should remind them that that request will likely require a raise in their taxes. As has been made clear these last few months, our counties ability to continue the high level of service we provide can only be sustained through higher taxation. Ergo, every NEW bell or whistle will also be a raise in taxation. We can’t lower our costs without lowering our services (or so the claim goes), so anything new will be a raise in taxes.

It is clear the direction we are heading. Outstanding debt is over $100 million, and infrastructure backlog is higher than that. Our proposed operating budget for next year is close to $650 million, and things do not look good for growth of new tax base to cover growing costs. We the citizens must be more judicious in our requests, and the commission must be more forthcoming on how we can finance those requests. These actions, coupled with greater analysis and accountability of our current expenditures will be the only positive way forward.