TAXES: State must revise rule

Well, it appears that most of our government entities’ budgets have been approved with increases and the taxpayers are again forced to pony up with additional monies.

Today’s increased health-care costs (thank you Obama) are being shared more and more by employees, pay raises are being held in check by everyone but government, bonuses and merit pay are non-existent anywhere else (but Coeur d’Alene), and new hires’ pay scales are being adjusted to more realistic values. Any PERSI recipient can tell you how generously we fund their program (and PERSI wants to raise the percentage). You could only dream that your employer contributed as much to your 401k. Even our state employees have made the same sacrifices as those in private industry. So, what’s up with our local taxing districts?

Consider how these very few elected officials impact your pocketbook. We all hear them say it will only be a few bucks a year. Yeah, times how many districts!

Please contact your representatives NOW before the next legislative session and express your disgust with the ability of these agencies to increase their budgets by up to 3 percent without taxpayer approval. We all know this was instituted to allow them to keep pace with inflation (which has been virtually zero for several years) with a mere council vote. It seemed to be a reasonable law at the time but we have seen them abuse this law in the recent past. And then in the infinite wisdom of the legislators, they allowed them to “claw back” whatever percentage was “foregone” without any time limit. As read in an recent Press, the county has close to $1.2 million in foregone taxes. To think that two commissioners can approve with the swipe of a pen to add that amount to their budget is ridiculous.

I am in agreement that everyone’s expenses increase due to inflation. Why is it OK to tie the seniors’ increases to an inflation index and yet our governments are not subject to the same rules? Let’s be honest, you won’t convince your representative to repeal this law entirely, but you may open their eyes to amend it to something more reasonable.

PETER WARD

Spirit Lake