I have a property tax question.

[sw363535]

Smokey I understand,  but there is no successful, responsible and enduring form of education that will survive as long as it is paid for by a few or the federal or state government.

If those who need and use the facilities have no sacrafice toward its existance, it will continue to go the way of public housing projects.

It is complicated but it still needs local ownership.... IMO

[Kay/NC]

The people of Flint and Detroit have my empathy...note, I didn't say sympathy. We all suffer from the same malady of governmental ineptitude.

[OKdon]

Auktung!     http://www.teachingdegree.org/iowa/salary/

[BA Deere]

Don, I don`t know what you`re acktunging about, the math still holds   $50,000/yr salary X 80% = $40,000 per year in retirement and for 25 years, there you have your 1 million samolians.

[k-289]

BA  -  You are witnessing the   '' Consolidation Game Of Rural America ''  -  24 rows at a time ---  EXPERTISM  at it's finest  ALSO do you really think we need all of the staff at these land grant college's teaching   OR  maybe a  class in how to consolidate townships or counties ?     

[ncwinn54]

With population dclining pretty steadily in our county and some surrounding it, small towns within it seeing high vacancy rates in homes, and the increqsing push to pile on unfinded mandates, I think consolidation makes sense. 

We already see our Extension agents increasingly shared with the next county to our west. If saving that half of a salary contribution fo a lower-paid public servant is significant, then what would it save to split one high- paid county manager, instead of two?  How about one school superintendent, since the two systms together seve fewer kids eqch uear than either one did twenty years ago? 

[k-289]

Sharing adminstrations is already a practice in place in our area --- 

[ncwinn54]

It will never happen, beyond agencies of state or federal focus.  I think this is why:

The county we greew up in in Virginia had one seprately governed, incorporated town.  When we moved to NC in 1994-5, we learned this caounty , with a very similar population, had seven.  Each town has its own power and power struggles.  Mayor and Town Council, Planning authority, etc.  Some even have extra-territorial zoning plowers. 

Our county tax department collects taxes for the towns, for a fee, and quite poorly.  One extended family member has Town Council seat in one, and tells me tax collection rates are roughly 85%.  State average is 97%. When he asked them to do the job they were being paid to do, he was told:If you don't like the way we do it, do your own. 

Throw in the mix that our county's delinquent property taxes are approaching seven million dollars.  Those people would pay, to keep their property, or someone else would pay the slack, to own it in their place.  I can throw a rock, and hit two houses where they haven't paid in several years, despite active income and federal pension income.  No excuse. 

All of this given, we cannot even consolidate two high schools to save money, because of thug infighting; but, the most recent referendum was to raise property taxes - ON THOSE FEW OF US WHO ARE ACTUALLY PAYING THEM - by roughly ten percent...to build one new school, where they won't get along, either. 

[BA Deere]

These counties in Iowa (99) were basically set up so you could ride a horse to the county seat in one day, in this day and age especially with much that can be conducted over the phone or online, we could easily get by with maybe 20 or 30 "districts".  But I`m old fashioned, I like the auditor, recorder all the supervisors and sheriff knowing me by my first name.  If there`s a ditch problem, I can contact the county engineer and he knows me and I can describe the location of a problem  "by that old white corn crib that they tore down 20 years ago" and he knows exactly what I`m talking about.   If counties got consolidated we would lose that, they would put your concerns at the bottom of a pile, especially if you didn`t live close to the district seat.  But this all costs money, we`re hard up, but I think we can still keep going like this a little while longer.

With schools, they shouldn`t be funded with property taxes, but there would be such a hit on state income tax if they paid their fair share, there`d be a revolt, so i don`t look for it to change.  The feds are pushing "common core" we lose more and more "local control" over our schools yet we`re expected to pay up, all the school board is expected to basically be a rubber stamp on the mandates.

[k-289]

BA   -  I'm  thinking the property tax deal would see little relief if the school funding was changed - only to go to other demands -  my city cousins have ' ' ' very little sympathy ' ' ' for 10 million  $$$ estate plans or  60 K  pickups  - just saying ---