Sheriff's Mill Levy
Author: Jeff Schritz
Sheriff's Mill Levy
It's that time of year again! No, not spring cleaning… Time to shake that money tree, You-me-Us The Taxpayer.
This time it's for our “safety”. You may recall the one-time stop-gap $500k Public Safety mill levy that was foisted upon us a few years ago. As is typically the case, the levy passed, and the money went into the general budget, which now has expanded to rely upon those extra funds, much like a goldfish will expand to fit new real estate when given a bigger tank.
The problem then being, said goldfish cannot return to the previous tank lest it perish in the confines of its former abode. Fortunately, our sheriff's department is not a goldfish… However, our dear sheriff has been on the stump all spring touting the increased benefits provided by his department, and floating out the soft scare tactics of hypothetical scenarios that may occur if we refuse to approve his proposed “decrease in funding”.
Quite the marketing ploy, as the levy is in fact a tax increase. The pitch presented to us plebes is that the proposed renewal rate of 31.95 mills is less than the original ONE TIME LEVY, therefore, the new 5-year (translation perpetual) levy is now a decrease? Nice work, Nick. I suppose those 33rd Degree officer training courses at the academy taught you how to rationalize that pretzel logic into a net benefit to the taxpayers?
Anyhow, long story short. I'm tapped out. Property taxes have gone through the roof. I'd rather not pay another nickel toward wage increases, asset upgrades or fuel bills for our County's storm troopers to LARP around the countryside on my dime.
This old cliché proves out at every test:
“When seconds count, the police are minutes away.”
No amount of funding will prevent every crime, nor will that funding guarantee your safety.
Make do with what we gave you Nick. Your deputies are collecting handsome wages, Gold-level benefits packages and hot-rodding brand-new service vehicles. Meanwhile, our VOLUNTEERS on Rural Fire, EMS and Search & Rescue face the same increased costs yet make do with aging equipment and stagnant budgets.
Maybe the sheriff's department could raise funds by hosting a steak fry on our next Holiday weekend rather than muscling in for a plate while charging us 2.5x premium OT for their service?
Remember, ballots are due May 6th. Our County officials took extra care to limit this election to “by mail only” (for our own good, of course), so be sure to request a ballot and submit it on time. If you don't vote, you can't complain.
Cheerfully optimistic,
Jeff Schritz
Broadwater County Resident
