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Monday, December 14, 2009

Ramsey County property tax hike nears approval, but 2010 budget won't include raises for elected officials

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posted by Bob at Monday, December 14, 2009

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Anonymous Pioneer Press said...

Levy to increase 2.7%, but officials won't earn more
By Dave Orrick
dorrick@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 12/12/2009 10:36:11 PM CST


Ramsey County commissioners are poised to pass the county's 2010-11 budget and tax levy Tuesday, a tax-and-spend plan that includes both spending increases and cuts.

Following public hearings and tweaks, the plan calls for a 2.7 percent increase in the 2010 property tax levy and a 1.3 percent increase in total spending, which includes more sources of revenue than just property taxes.

As always, how the levy will affect any individual property tax bill is complicated by how any property's value has changed compared with other properties.

One thing the budget doesn't include is a raise for any of the county's elected leaders.

In June, citing the economy, commissioners decided to forgo raises, and on Tuesday, Sheriff Bob Fletcher and County Attorney Susan Gaertner will request the same treatment.

"The reasons are obvious: Times are tough," said Gaertner, who is not seeking another term and is instead running for governor. "The dollar amounts aren't going to mean much in the big scheme of things, but I'll just do my part."

Gaertner is currently paid an annual salary of $146,497, the same amount she is requesting for next year.

Fletcher, who plans to run for re-election next year, expressed similar reasons.

"All of the community is suffering, and all elected officials should be freezing their salaries," he said.

Fletcher is currently paid an annual salary of $135,631, the same amount he is requesting for next year.

Commissioners earn $82,400 a year, and the county board chair earns $84,975. A newly established policy would have given them a 3 percent annual raise, but they opted not to pursue it.

While they often garner public attention, salaries of elected officials make up a puny fraction of county spending.

The proposed 2010 budget is $572,276,776, over $7 million more than this year's budget. That's a higher spending plan than initially proposed, the result of several new revenue-and-spending streams, including the purchase of the Union Depot and a contract with Dakota County to place female Dakota County inmates at the Ramsey County workhouse.

While labor and health care costs continue to be among the increases, the budget features a number of cuts, such as services for the developmentally disabled.

"Nobody wants to do that," county board chair Jan Parker said. "For crying out loud, these are the most needy people among us."

The proposed 2010 tax levy is $259,971,049, an increase of nearly $7 million over this year's.

"That's the highlight," Parker said, emphasizing that commissioners showed discipline by keeping property tax increases modest. "In our public comments, there was a real split between people who said, 'Please don't increase our property taxes' and others who said, 'Please don't cut out services.' That's the predicament we're in."

Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt, who chaired the budget committee, noted that, legally, the county could have increased its levy hike by an additional 2 percent to make up for state funds rescinded by Gov. Tim Pawlenty last year.

"We realized that if we did all that, that would have just been an unbearable burden for taxpayers," Reinhardt said.

Like the state, Ramsey County approves budgets two years ahead. While the proposed 2011 budget undoubtedly will change before public hearings and final approval late next year, it will serve as a template for next year's planning.

The proposed 2011 budget is about $585.7 million, a 2.3 percent increase over the 2010 proposal.

The budgets can be read in full at co.ramsey.mn.us/ba/ index.htm.

7:18 AM  

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