Marysville Tax Increase Alternative

I read Mayor Chris Schmenk's column in the Marysville Journal-Tribune tonight which focused on answering questions about the proposed .50 percent income tax increase coming up on the spring ballot.  I've yet to hear a good answer to the question regarding why taxpayers should approve an increase during one of the worst economic down turns in the post-war era.

The column did provide some insight into how the income tax, if passed, would be used to help fund city needs. According to the mayor, "$1.3 million" would be used to bolster the budget deficit and maintain current service levels in the budget. "$2.8 million" generated by the half-percent tax increase would be used to build new city facilities. This is straight from the mayor's news paper article.

If I read this correctly, the city needs approximately a third (31.7 percent) of the proposed tax increase to maintain current levels of service.  The other 68.3 percent is going to fund new buildings.

I don't know about anyone else, but it feels like City Hall remains a bit out of touch.  Our Mayor is a good person and, I believe, has the best of intentions for our City. But the request for a .50 percent tax increase is excessive and inappropriate for the economic times.

How do you run your household finances? If you were short on meeting the bills every month, would you continue planning on building a big new house? In reality, you would be seeking to shore up your balance sheet by cutting expenses and finding ways to make ends meet. You would NOT be looking to build a new house until the economy recovered and you found yourself in a better position to expand your obligations.  

Here's a reasonable, alternative proposal (based on the numbers published in the Mayor's newspaper article):

• Reinstate the tax credit for residents who work and pay taxes in other cities.
• Repeal the .50 percent income tax and replace it with a .20 percent income tax. A .20 percent income tax should generate more than the city needs to maintain services levels. 
• Back away from the building program for a year and let's revisit the matter when the economy has had a chance to recover.

That, my friends, feels like a more appropriate approach, given the current economic challenges impacting households on a daily basis. Regardless of the accuracy of my math, I believe the city may find support for a more conservative revenue generation approach. The current proposal on the table feels inappropriate.

What do you think?

Hey! We're Printing Your Salary in the Paper

The local paper, the Marysville Journal-Tribune, has been running a series over the past several days listing the individual salaries of county employees. While pursued with noble purpose, I must say I'm a little bit disappointed in the outcome of the series.  

I used to be a public employee, so I understand what it is like to potentially have your salary published in the newspaper. It comes with the territory, so let's dispense with any indignation by county workers. You work for us, we pay the bills, and we have a right to know how much you are paid. If you don't like it, get a public sector gig.

Regarding the series, I do think it is legitimate to say that the newspaper failed to deliver on in-depth analysis of the dynamics that are driving county fiscal problems. If they were trying to help me understand the story behind the numbers, consider the task left undone. I know how much individuals are making, but I don't know if the salaries are fair. In some cases, only the county portion of the salaries was provided, leaving me as a tax-payer with unanswered questions regarding the big picture.

The lack of analysis on the numbers is what should leave county officials unsatisfied. Why? The result of the series doesn't result in building understanding of the counties fiscal situation. Instead, it has only resulted fostering "salary envy" among county employees who now know who has the biggest paycheck in the office.

Ouch!