MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
FEBRUARY 23, 2005
Iowa State Association of Counties County-A-Day for Johnson and Linn Counties at the State Capital of Iowa in Des Moines
Chairperson Stutsman called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order at a table in the basement lobby of the State Capital of Iowa at 8:30 a.m. Members present were: Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Rod Sullivan. Absent: Pat Harney and Mike Lehman. Present from Linn County were County Supervisors Lu Barron and Linda Langston and Administrative Services Director/Assistant to the Board Mike Goldberg. Additionally present from Johnson County were County Recorder Kim Painter, County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek, City Assessor Dennis Baldridge, SEATS Director Tom Brase, and County Auditor Tom Slockett.
Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) representatives included Executive Director William R. Petersen, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs John Easter, Assistant Legal Counsel Linda Hinton, and former supervisor Mike Wentzine from Tama County, now the lobbyist for the state supervisors organization. A number of legislative initiatives before the House and Senate were discussed.
The Secondary Roads Fund Distribution Advisory Committee (SRFDAC) legislation would decrease year to year volatility in and revise the distribution of Road Use Tax funding. The legislation has the support of 88 counties. One county has conditionally supported it and 7 counties which would lose funding under the legislation are opposed. The position of three counties was unstated. Polk County is making an additional effort to shift 5% of the weight from area to vehicle miles in determining funding which would work to Polk’s further advantage.
The Governor’s workgroup on Governance is looking at the big picture to improve the delivery of government services, with primary focus in three areas:
Local (city, school, and county)
Taxes (primarily property tax)
Education/finance
The primary workgroup meets once a week on Monday mornings. Subcommittee meetings of the workgroup meet on an ongoing basis. This has created a challenge for ISAC staff to attempt to cover them.
The focus appears to be on a model represented from Waterloo Ontario, Canada. Here services have been reorganized by function rather than jurisdiction. Said to be successful in Canada the concept is envisioned to work through Council of Government (COG) or regional areas in Iowa. Providing COG’s the ability to bond on the basis of Essential Public Purposes for utilities such as wastewater treatment is an example given. Boone County has shown interest in this area and Powesheik County has noted reservations.
Most of the discussion on taxes has come through the subcommittee on taxes and not through Ways and Means.
The League of Municipalities and ISAC proposal was said to be the most definitive
Senator Miller’s SF158 was described as definitive and complete but contains controversial aspects
A House Republican plan was said to be in the works
A Farm Bureau and business plan has been verbalized but nothing tangible has been produced to date
A growing desire to deal with the rollback was perceived. Possibilities include:
Cutting the tie between residential and agricultural valuation
Tying residential/agricultural/ and commercial together with a freeze
Some kind of a limitation for city and county property taxes
If there is a limitation ISAC would like consideration for:
A base year established at a future date because using past years has not worked
Carry forward unused capacity to eliminate the incentive to levy defensively at the maximum
Indexation for growth
Elimination of the uncertainty of state funding for credits
Elimination of the reliance of schools on property taxation
The state budget is $60 million short this year and is expected to be $125 million short next year. It is difficult to see any funding for new programs and will be a challenge to hold onto existing funding. There are a number of bottle bills and redemption center bills but no certainty that anything will happen with them. Mental health parity remains on the table with no certainty that anything will happen with it, as well.
At 9:30 a.m. the group split up to go to committee or subcommittee meetings and meet with legislators.
At 11:45 the group reconvened at the Latin King Restaurant as arranged by Senator Joe Bolkcom. The group was in a large room with two tables and booths. There was no address to or discussion heard by the group as a whole. Various conversations between county and state officials transpired as attendees had lunch and moved around the room until the group broke up at 1 p.m.
In attendance were Senator Joe Bolkcom and Representative Dave Jacoby from Johnson County and Representatives Dick Taylor, Jeff Elgin, and Rob Hogg from Linn County, and ISAC Executive Director William R. Petersen. Johnson County officials included Supervisors Sally Stutsman, Terrence Neuzil, and Rod Sullivan, Recorder Kim Painter, Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek, Iowa City Assessor Dennis Baldridge, SEATS Director Tom Brase and Auditor Tom Slockett. Linn County Officials included Supervisors Lu Barron and Linda Langston and Administrative Services Director/Assistant to the Board Mike Goldberg.
Adjourned at 1:00 p.m.
Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor
By Casie Kadlec, Recording Secretary