Thursday, Apr 22, 2010
Teton Valley News
No one likes to talk about taxes, particularly politicians. But this spring, you will need to decide on two levies – roads and the hospital. And they could not have come at a worse time. Teton County is recovering from a dramatic economic bust. People are out of work and families are financially stressed. What’s more, we have to consider them in light of next year’s school levy - by far the most important levy we pass.
These are hard times and we have tough choices ahead of us. When I look at my family’s bottom line, voting to pay another one to two hundred dollars a year in taxes will be tough. We’ll have to make sacrifices to do it.
Before you go to the polls, you should know the facts about our roads and budget. It’s obvious our road system has been in need of repair for some time. As service demands increased nearly 300% over the years we relied on donations from developers to augment the road budget. The amount of donations received barely touched the more than $7 million shortfall. Now those donations are non-existent and the promises unfulfilled.
That’s the legacy we’re dealing with. It’s something we need to keep in mind, but something we need to move past too. We need a sustainable plan for the future. The most compelling reasons to pass the road levy are economic. For one, we currently spend more money repairing roads than we would if we fixed them. By putting off capital improvements, we’re increasing the amount we will pay later. Secondly, because we don’t provide a 30% local match for the state funds we receive, Teton County is not competitive for state and federal grants.
As a commissioner the responsible choice was to put this to a vote – letting you decide what we do. As a parent, local business owner and financially strapped homeowner I understand the responsible choice for many residents may be a ‘no’ vote. It was hard to put this on the ballot, but as a fiscal manager for the county I’m concerned about how long we can put off infrastructure costs; recognizing that putting them off only increases their price. It wouldn’t be responsible to leave it for the next generation or commission. Fortunately, the beauty of our system is that you decide.
Vote on Tuesday May 25th or vote now absentee, either way make your voice heard.
Kathy Rinaldi is a first term Teton County Commissioner and can be reached at
krinaldi@co.teton.id.us
