NTF
Worksheet: douglascounty11.doc. 6-08.
NEBRASKA TAXPAYERS FOR FREEDOM WORKSHEET:
ANALYSIS OF DOUGLAS COUNTY
BUDGET: FY 2008-2009.
BACKGROUND. Nebraska counties are reeling financially from the
recessive economy. Federal revenue
sources, like grant monies, are dwindling.
State aid is decreasing, as state government faces an ongoing deficit.
Local property taxpayers stand yoked to the hilt with rising property
valuations and taxes. Nebraska county
governments must consider both long-term and short-term trims and
institutionalized budget cuts, instead of raising taxes, in establishing yearly
budgets.
BUDGET
CUT SUGGESTIONS. The following is a list of suggested budget cuts from NTF:
1. end funding for 4H and
extension programs.
2. end support for extraneous
services, like the Douglas County law library, or increase its user fees.
3. share services and merge
departments with adjacent rural counties.
We realize that you already are doing this, with 5 counties managing
several social services together. Interlocal
agreements prove every time to save taxpayers money eventually.
4. Ask each dept. chief to list
possible spending cuts of 1.5%.
5. request your lobbyist to
lobby to lift state mandates, like required interpreters.
6. Restrict the number and
length of out of town and out of state trips taken by county employees.
7. The proposed 2008-09 budget
lists salary adjustment increases at 124%!
Make only 1-yr. contracts with county employees, because economic
fluctuations make it undesirable to lock in multi-year contracts. Closely peg pay hikes to cost of living
increases for this urban area.
8. make employees pay at least
30% of health insurance premium costs for individuals, couples, and
families.
9. Encourage employees to
participate in a wellness program to cut health and medical expenses.
10. cut seasonal employees and
reduce park maintenance.
11. your corrections costs have
risen dramatically. Make inmates pay a
portion of their incarceration and medical costs.*
12. consolidate within yourself
before you consolidate with the city.
Merging the offices of the County Clerk and Register of Deeds would
improve services and save taxpayer dollars.
Both offices have staff knowledgeable about real estate transactions,
both maintain official county records, and 77 of 93 NE counties already have
consolidated these 2 offices, etc.
13. obtain bulk rates on
purchasing office equipment and supplies by joint purchasing with other local
subdivisions.
14. institute joint computer and
other training of personnel.
15. peg property/casualty
deductibles of $2,500 or $5,000 and on workers compensation.
16. delete physical damage
coverage on old, low-value vehicles.
17. Cut spending in the tourism
office. Instead, press private
enterprises that benefit from this service to fund it.
18. Privatize the county garage
to cut expenses.
*Pay
to stay covers security, utility, medical care, food, and transportation
costs. Klamath Falls, OR. county jail
has raised $25,000 per year at a cost of $10,000 to administer. The program begins after release of an
inmate. He must pay in full or by a
payment plan. If he refuses, the county
takes him to small claims court, where a judge can garnish his wages. The sheriff there eliminated from the jail
menu ketchup, salt, pepper, and coffee, to save $30,000 per year. He charges inmates $60 daily. This idea has spread to about 1/3 of U.S.
county jails.1 Missouri county jails gleaned $384,000 from
inmates in 2004 as of May, according to the Missouri Att.-Gen. Most states allow local jails to impose fees
on inmates, for room and board, phone use, haircuts, or medical care. Savings from reducing overutilization of
services occurs.2 Fairfax Co. Virginia charges inmates $1 per
day to cover meals. The Virginia
legislature authorized local governments to charge a daily fee of up to $1. Fees now apply in Portsmouth, Norfolk, and
Virginia Beach. Montgomery and Prince
George Counties in Maryland charge prisoners for specific services and
provisions. They charge prisoners on
work release more than $1 per day. The
latter county levies medical fees of $4, because some prisoners feign sickness
and waste physician and nurse time.
Prisoners who work or stay on home detention return 1 day of pay each
week to the county.3
CONCLUSION. In conclusion, because Douglas County accounts for
about 12% of total property taxes levied on a home, we appreciate your not
raising the property tax levy rate; however, remember that average valuations
on property have risen between 4% and 10% this year in Douglas County. We also offer the following recommendations:
·
Place copies of the proposed budget in libraries in the county at least
2 weeks before public budget hearings, so that citizens have sufficient time to
look at and analyze annual budgets. Place copies of the proposed budget on the
county web site, so that citizens can study it at home.
·
Set your public budget hearing at a specific evening hour, so that more
working (taxpaying) people can attend, and at a more centralized location with
adequate parking.
Research,
analysis, and documentation for this worksheet done by Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom.
This material copyrighted and notarized by Nebraska Taxpayers for
Freedom, with express prior permission for its use by Citizens for Local Control, Cherry County
Taxpayers, Dawes County Taxpayers, and other groups in the Tax Freedom
Network. 6-08. C