LEE COUNTY – A letter from Lee County Farm Bureau hit hard with the Lee County Board of Supervisors last week around the financial goals of the county.
Supervisors met with the farm bureau last month in what’s become an annual peek at county operations and spending.
The letter was dated April 3, roughly six weeks after the Feb. 18 meeting with the board in Donnellson.
During that meeting in February, farm bureau members pushed the board on spending and proposed raises that were being considered. The farm bureau is the only group to formally oppose a county budget and did that more than 25 years ago. They were successful in their protest of the budget.
This year Farm Bureau’s letter asks the county to reduce the property tax levy by $1.00 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. The letter references the county’s unilateral pay increase of 2% after union negotiations settled on a smaller increase.
“After union negotiations were settled, the governing body chose to disregard the agree-upon terms and instead issued unilateral pay increases to employees and themselves. While staff retention is important, providing non-negotiated raises without accountability is troubling,” wrote the Farm Bureau Board of Directors in the letter.
They also indicated the county has failed to implement a planned levy reduction plan due to possible “legislative changes”. Farm Bureau directors wrote that created both fiscal and ethical concerns.
“A multi-year plan was previously established to reduce the levy in compliance with state law and choosing not to execute it, despite having the financial ability to do so, results in the continued maintenance of an excessive levy,” the letter indicated.
The Farm Bureau board also has concerns with a fund set up when the county had speed cameras set up that resulted in fines being directed to the county by motorists caught speeding along the Hwy. 27 corridor through the county.
“The county continues to maintain significant funds in non-operational accounts without plans for their use,” the letter indicated. “Government should operate to provide affordable, quality services, not to accumulate surplus funds without purpose.”
The Farm Bureau board said the tax levy reduction request would still allow the county to have sufficient ending balances to support daily operations. The county board had been committing to reducing the property tax by 58 cents per year toward mandated general fund levy caps by 2029. New legislation being proposed at the state level could accelerate those limits to next year.
Lee County Supervisor Chair Ginger Knisley had worked through the full agenda before Supervisor Denise Fraise asked if they were going to discuss the letter.
Fraise said the county has committed to a plan to reduce the levy by a specific amount, they should stick to that commitment.
Knisley said there was no law requiring the county to reduce the levy by a certain amount yet, but only current legislation setting a general fund cap of $3.50/$1,000 taxable valuation by 2029.
Supervisors Chuck Holmes and Garry Seyb questioned the timing of the letter coming in “at the fourth quarter of the game,” according to Seyb.
“This is not to bash Farm Bureau,” Seyb said. “But I wish they had brought up all these concerns throughout the budgetary process. Especially when they have a member that is now running, it seems a little funny to me.”
Holmes said the county can’t put too much emphasis on one letter that comes in at the end of the process. He said Farm Bureau had 1,500 members and a lot of them are members because of insurance benefits and haven’t been involved in the creation of the letter.
Seyb said he is a Farm Bureau member and hadn’t seen the letter before it was sent to the board and said the county is being good stewards of taxpayer funds.
“Right now, I honestly feel the board is moving forward in a way that is fiscally, financially responsible, and that we are able to serve the citizens. We’ve cut, what, nine employees over the past two years?" he said.
Seyb said the county is deficit spending this year by about $1.6 million and giving in to the $1.00/$1,000 tax levy request, that would cost the county another $1.8 million.
Budget Director Cindy Renstrom said that would move the county down to about a $4 million carryover.
Knisley said the following year, the county would likely be firing people.
The non-operational account, which has the majority of the speed camera money in it is there for non-budgeted emergencies, which Seyb said could include things like a bridge falling into the river, or a derecho, both of which have happened in Lee County in the past.
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