Getting the Train back on Track
"There are a number of key issues the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will be addressing in the next four years. In this article I'll discuss our track record as trustworthy financial managers.
Those of you who lived here four years ago know that the previous all-Republican BOCC warned of an unstoppable "Budget Train Wreck" that by 2008 would have created a General Fund too small to cover the costs of government. Instead, our all-Democratic BOCC began 2008 with the largest unencumbered cash reserve balance in recent memory, and we did it without lay-offs.
This accomplishment was possible in spite of inflation for several reasons. First, we were lucky to have healthy revenues. Second, we've been frugal. And third, we've been proactive; we did our homework and sought outside sources of revenue.
Everyone, including your BOCC, is concerned about property taxes. We own our homes and we pay taxes too. People who'd like to see Democrats out of office try to make it sound like we're eager to raise taxes but it's not true. For the past three years we've kept spending within the voter-approved 1% property tax limit and we haven't touched our banked capacity. That's one of the reasons Jefferson County now has a better credit rating than it did in 2004 when Democrats regained the majority on the BOCC. Our A bond rating is a reward for good financial management, and we are proud to deliver this reward because it means savings for the residents of Jefferson County.
We've supplemented county revenue by looking beyond property taxes and have brought back to Jefferson County the following dollars:
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* $950,000 in state funding to repair the unsafe courthouse clock tower.
* $300,000 ($100,000 per year for three years) for drug treatment -- extra state funding awarded to Jefferson County for early adoption the 1/10th of one percent sales tax for mental health and substance abuse treatment.
* $45,000 in state grants to fund Clean Water Districts.
* Nearly $1,200,000 in state infrastructure funding owed to Jefferson County but uncollected for years until Commissioner Sullivan discovered an accounting error made during the previous BOCC's tenure.
* Over $1,000,000 in federal funding for road maintenance and 4-H programs gained through successfully lobbying Congress to extend Secure Rural Schools funding
* Approximately $15,000 in grant funding to purchase an all-electric replacement vehicle for local county staff use.
* $197,000 in grants for the preliminary design of the Tri Area sewer.
* $670,000 from DOE for the Shoreline Management Plan.
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These funds reflect our successful efforts to recapture some of the hard earned money we've all paid in state and federal taxes. By bringing this money back to Jefferson County we've been able to provide better services without raising local taxes to do it.
Despite our success in building up cash reserves locally, we now face an insecure national economy and some lean and difficult years as a nation and as a county. Please help us retain a Democratic majority on the Board of County Commissioners to protect the community values we share. I would appreciate your vote of support." Phil Johnson
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