Editor’s note: This ‘on the money’ rant from a friend landed in my mailbox on Friday morning. It is quite self explanatory
You can email your legislator and urge them to vote NO on SF 2081- backfill elimination bill.
Backfill? You ask.. I keep hearing the term in regards to funding and taxes. So I dug in and found out..
Do you use the roads? Rely on street lights? The sewers? Parks? Public Schools? Glad to have fire and police/sheriff in our communities?
Well, get this.
A few years ago, the republican led legislature and then governor Branstad wrote a bill that cut 10% off property taxes for businesses. Remember that?
The schools, cities, and counties were not thrilled with this idea – because they are the recipients of property revenue and use it for existing service in their communities.
So.. then came a backfill amendment that said, ‘ok communities – we hear you. We are cutting property taxes for businesses anyway and lessening your local funds by doing so – BUT we (the state) will make up the difference in loss in your funding and backfill the money with general fund tax dollars (ish-its more complicated language but you get the idea).
Well. Guess what? The state GOP legislature and governor have over spent too much with more give-a-ways tax credits over the past few years and have run out of money.
So as they look for money, they’ve decided to renege on their promise to local governments and have proposed rescinding the backfill. Cutting the backfill money promised for schools, cities, and counties – while the businesses get to keep their property tax cuts.
Which means two things:
1.) less funding for schools, cities, and counties – which means you guessed it – less services for our communities and
2.) a strong likelihood that YOUR personal property taxes will be increased to make up the difference. This shifts the tax burden from businesses to the people and it is WRONG!
This GOP controlled legislature. This governor and her predecessor are a driving this state head-on into this train wreck. Intentionally.
When they campaign on less government – this is what that really means.
Less government = less schools
Less government = less fire/police
Less government = less maintenance / services such as sewers, roads, utilities
Less government = less public/social services
It DOES NOT MEAN less bureaucratic bullshit and corporate handouts of our tax dollars.
Don’t buy the hype!
Elections have consequences. We must vote these folks out and get this state moving in the right direction.
You can email your legislator and urge them to vote NO on SF 2081- backfill elimination bill.
One last word from your editor: Please contact your legislators. For my small towns like mine this will mean the closing of the pool, the closing of the library (which is a vital service here), less police, less upkeep of fire equipment, less city maintenance that has been hammered over the years especially cemetery care and much more I am not aware of.
