IN YOUR CORNER

 

The purpose of the Martin County Taxpayers Association is to promote

efficient management of our local tax dollars by working with local

governments and by providing information and education to local

taxpayers on how their taxes are being spent. In other words, we try to

make sure that taxpayers get the most bang for our buck.

 

This is our last article of the year, and we are going to cover some

thoughts that we hope will inspire reflection and cause some good

discussions in the future.

 

Not too long ago, The Stuart News printed an article predicting an

annual growth rate of 2-3% for Martin County.  What capital improvements

are really needed in the county to accommodate this growth over the next

5,10,15,20 years? Do different types of growth cost more or less?  How

can we encourage efficient growth patterns? How should capital

improvements be scaled and prioritized? Are we getting the best prices

for county purchases? How should they be funded?  Is it better to fund

the infrastructure for growth through bonds, or by a gas and/or sales

tax increase or maybe a combination?

 

The cost of our county government will  grow as well. Over the last 10

years it has grown at a rate significantly faster than our population.

We must keep an eye on the county’s planning procedures in addition to

day to day operations.

**

We feel the county needs some improvements in the procedure it uses to

justify the need for new personnel.  Can someone on the staff or another

department do the proposed activity? Should the activity be out

sourced.? When hiring employees, is it better to hire professional,

experienced people, or lower skilled personnel?  Some of our volunteers

are reviewing the county's collective bargaining process, focusing on

construction of area wage surveys, with special emphasis on union

negotiations.

**

Is the county honestly considering  the merits of privatization and /or

consolidation of various functions?

**

What is the true cost of growth?  For every family moving into the

county, does the county gain or lose money?  What is a family?  Is it

two retirees, or a family of four with two children of school age?  The

same analysis must be performed for businesses.  What are the important

variables in each case that have major effects on our tax structure?

**

Our funding base is made up of local taxes and fees, plus monies from

the State of Florida and the Federal Government.  Most of these monies

from the State and the Fed have strings attached, and must be spent on

specific items.  What state and federally imposed standards are driving

the cost of county government?  How can we rally citizen interest in

changing those standards?

**

 

Besides merely qualifying by virtue of our size in population or fitting

into some category based on demographics, Martin County can qualify for

funding by applying for grants, which we have begun to do aggressively.

But what are the hidden costs in obtaining and using grants?  Once a

grant is obtained to set up a particular service, the funding ends at a

certain point and then we must take over this expenditure.  Have we ever

analyzed if these services, once begun, should be maintained

indefinitely? And do we ever stop to think if they should be applied

for, given the long term cost?

**

Do we want a really diverse population or a more homogeneous one?

Diversity means factions as well as enrichment.  Who do we want to

attract to the area?  Do we want to advertise for professionals, young

families, or mainly retirees?  The policies and infrastructure we create

will dictate who we attract.

**

Since businesses generally must pass their costs on to the consumers,

any tax or regulation cost is a tax on the citizens.  Is it not more

accurate to divide the total taxes collected by the number of citizens

to get a good idea of the cost per person?  Are impact fees on most

businesses really justified, or are they just another way of hiding tax

increases? What is the cost of regulation and are all of them necessary?

 

**

What are the divisive issues for the county (the airport, for example)?

How can the county minimize those issues and concentrate on issues that

bring the citizens together instead of setting one group against

another?

**

The Taxpayers Association hopes to encourage Martin Countians to become

involved in helping to sort out these weighty issues in the New Year.

Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year from the Martin County

Taxpayers Association