.jpg)
A few months ago Moody's downgraded all Municipal Bonds citingOverspending and a hollowing out of the revenue core. (Click here) At the same time, my property taxes have increased 800-1000 dollars over the past 5 years while the value of my property has decreased.
It was suggested to me by a public servant that the run away cost are due in part, to rapidly increasing payroll and related benefits package expenses increases. With that, i wrote a letter to my Country Board Member and the County Auditor. At first they seemed to cooperate stated they needed time to compile the numbers.
For the Past week they have not returned my once per day phone calls. Apparently they have something to hide. Given the Downgrade by Moody's, it appears to me that they have brought local government to the brink of bankruptcy. It appears that this financial decline is related, at least in part, to our elected officials runaway spending on payroll and benefits packages.
I have attached my last to emails (in reverse chronological order) so that you might have an idea of the questions that I asked them. You can find the specific information I requested and learn about the stalling I have encountered within these emails.
It would appear that our taxes are being raised in large part to pay increased salaries and benefits package expenses. I would suggest that an easy course of action to let your elected officials know you are paying attention and are sick and tired of increasing property taxes is to write them a letter or send them and email. (If you live in Wright County MN, all of your Country Board Members email addresses can be found in the attached email thread)
I am providing a generic template of a letter for you to send your Country Board and/or City Hall representatives is attached at the end of this article.
Remember to keep asking yourself.... "If not me, who? If not Now, When?"
Please take the time to write your elected city and county officials.
Respectfully,
Don Mashak
The Cynical Patriot
-------------------------------------------------
-----Original Message-----
From: dmashak@aol.com To: bob.hiivala@co.wright.mn.us; patrick.sawatzke@co.wright.mn.us
Cc: Rose.Thelen@co.wright.mn.us; jack.russek@co.wright.mn.us; elmer.eichelberg@co.wright.mn.us; dick.mattson@co.wright.mn.us
Sent: Tue, Jul 7, 2009 1:08 pm
Subject: Fwd: Request for Information sent 2 weeks ago.
Hello County Auditor Hiivala and County Board Member Sawatzke
I wrote to both of you 2 weeks ago requesting the information per the attached copy of the previous email I sent you. Apparently, Wright County has something to hide. Mr Sawatzke has yet to contact me and Mr. Hiivala has not returned my calls for a week or more.
The rapid rise in my property taxes, revocation of my agricultural classification, and Moody's downgrading municipal bonds as a class rather than individual entities because of overspending and a "hollowing out of the revenue core" caused me to question where all the money is going to and how can we reduce the spending.
I asked for the payroll and benefits package information sans personal information for the the past 5 years, well as other information and calculations.
Now, i initially heard all sorts of excuses why this would be hard to look up. Any business owner, manager etc is going to question why these figures are hard to put together. Budgets are put together on comparables... generally comparing last years numbers to this years numbers. At some point each year, when doing a budget, all of the payroll and benefits package information for the current year must show up next to the prior year. And therefore, if you go to the budget preparation materials for the last 4 years you should have 5 years of data. How else could the board members and the other finance officials of Wright County fulfill their fiduciary duty of exercising due diligence in constructing a budget.
And since computer spreadsheets are pretty much the standard medium used in compiling financial data, it should be a simple matter to cut and paste the relevant columns from each spreadsheet to one consolidated spreadsheet containing the information I desire. Further, I presume that Wright County keeps track of standard employee per resident rates; That is the number of employees non-metropolitan counties have relative to the number of citizens in the County.
Also, I presume that the county keeps track of total payroll + benefits vs number of residents, total payroll + benefits v number of taxable acres, total payroll + benefits v total number of taxable properties etc. Still further, I would think that the Minnesota counties collectively, as a matter of duty to taxpayers and voters, would have created a chart of "private industry" comparable position compensation as a benchmark to measure against.
Since this information would be readily available if Wright Country were exercising due diligence in drafting and approving budgets, I do not understand the difficulty in compiling it. Said another way, with my fundamental understanding of the normal way budgets and business work, I do not understand the long delay in providing the information i have requested.
Now, I understand that some information might not be immediately available but 2 weeks? And why no returned phone calls for a week?
Please provide me the information i requested.
Please put me on the agenda for the next meeting.
I would appreciate it if each of you sent me confirmation of receipt via email.
Sincerely,
Don Mashak
Wright County Resident
Wright County Tax Payer
Wright County Property Owner
Wright County Voter
The Cyncial Patriot
Wright County Free Press
http://donmashakswrightcountymnfreepress.blogspot.com/
-----Original Message-----
From: dmashak@aol.com
To: bob.hiivala@co.wright.mn.us
Sent: Tue, Jun 23, 2009 12:22 pm
Subject: Fwd: Request for Information
-----Original Message-----
From: dmashak@aol.com
To: patrick.sawatzke@co.wright.mn.us
Sent: Thu, Jun 18, 2009 12:02 pm
Subject: Request for Information
Hello:
My taxes, and the taxes of other Wright County Citizens, have increased greatly in the past 3 - 5 years.
My off the hip estimate is that my taxes have went up about 500/year over the past 3 years. At the same time, the value of my property has decreased.
Please quantify how much my taxes have went up on my property for the last 3 to five years respectively.
Further, you folks rescinded my agricultural homestead status. At this point in time, I intended to have 200-300 colonies of honeybees. However, a disease known as colony collapse disorder has decimated the honeybee population. I am now down to about 10 colonies, but can show you empty hive equipment representing another 40 colonies worth of equipment that is mothballed to prevent wax moth damage. But you decided to punish me because now I do not have enough colonies or some other arbitrary and capricious reason.
Please identify how much my taxes will go up next year as a result. I am thinking now that my taxes are going to be about 800-1000 per year too high. With that in mind, i am thinking we need to start making cuts, to reduce my property tax load (and the tax load of other Wright County Residential and Agriculture property owners by similar amounts.
Please provide me with the following information:
A list of all personnel that work for Wright County, including Title, job duties,
payroll, and benefits packages for the past 5 years formatted from highest to
lowest salary/benefit package. (delete all private information)
Please provide in that list a calculation for each position of compensation and
benefits package divided by the number of :
1) residents of Wright County,
2) Taxable Parcels in Wright County,
3) Taxable acres in Wright County.
Then, at the bottom, an aggregate total of payroll and compensation package divided by:
1) number of residents of Wright County,
2) Taxable Parcels in Wright County,
3) Taxable acres in Wright County.
Please then also provide what the comparable position in the private sector would pay.
Please provide a list of things we could cut to save 10% in the next year and 10% in
the following year, reflecting the severe down turn in the economy.
Thank you for your time.
Don Mashak
The Cynical Patriot
Wright County Free Press
http://donmashakswrightcountymnfreepress.blogspot.com/
---------------------------------------------------------
Cut and paste the below template into your word processor or your email program
--
Date (if letter)
Email address or address
Your Email address or address
Subject: Request for Information
Hello:
My property taxes, and the property taxes of other residents, have increased greatly in the past 3 - 5 years.
I cannot afford these increased taxes, especially at a time when property values are declining.
Please quantify how much my taxes have went up on my property for the last 3 to five years respectively.
Please identify how much my taxes will go up next year.
With that in mind, I am thinking we need to start making cuts, to reduce my property
tax load and the tax load of other property owners by similar amounts. Please
provide me with the following information.
A list of all personnel that work for our County[city], including Title, job duties, payroll, and benefits packages for the past 5 years formatted from highest to lowest salary/benefit package. (delete all private information)
Please provide in that list a calculation for each position of compensation and benefits package divided by the number of:
1) residents of our County[city];
2) Taxable Parcels in our County[city]; 3) Taxable acres in our County[city];
Then, at the bottom of each year, a aggregate total of payroll and compensation package divided by:
1) residents of our County[city],
2) Taxable Parcels in County[city],
3) Taxable acres in our County[city].
Please then also provide what the comparable position in the private sector would pay.
Please provide a list of things we could cut to save 10% in the next year and 10% in
the following year, reflecting the severe down turn in the economy.
Thank you for your time.
Respectfully,
Your name
Resident, Taxpayer and Voter
e5yx89gb2a
Comments