Swimming in Murky Waters

I have always said that budgeting season makes for strange pillow mates and that is especially true this year. It is hard to tell if it is the enormous amount of the deficit or somethings else entirely that is driving the swing but it is certainly confusing. For several years I have been hoping for an across the isle approach to politics in Jefferson County but for some reason this sudden shift has me feeling uneasy. Sort of like that feeling you get when the roller coaster at the Fair makes a funny noise. You try to convince yourself that it is all good but deep inside you know strange noises and quickly assembled rides do not make for an easy landing. Sharp political turns can be just as unsettling.

Don’t get me wrong, it was not all hand holding and singing by the campfire at the last budget meeting. In fact, it was quite tense on both sides of the table. I have to wonder what this budget committee would do if property tax increase were not off of the table. Jefferson County Mayor Palmieri and some of the committee members believe that to push an inevitable property tax increase to next fiscal year is not being responsible. Other committee members are firm that a promise is a promise. The citizens let the wheel tax increase stand and so property tax increase is off of the table. Believe it or not, I believe that they are both right. It will take a combination of wheel tax and property tax increase to dig us out of this financial hole. And we stand to lose a lot of services in Jefferson County by standing firm on no property tax increase because deep, painful cuts have already been made and more are to come.

I wonder what it is worth to the average citizen, for the budget committee to keep their word. Is it worth the price of a couple of #3 combos under the golden arches to provide meals on wheels for Jefferson County seniors for a year? How about forgoing two or three gallons of ice cream next year to make sure that abused women and children in Jefferson County have a safe place to go? It would take very little but give a great deal. However, a promise is a promise. And if we cannot believe the word of our elected officials then we have serious problems. This is the true example of being between a rock and a hard place and I am sure that it is extremely uncomfortable.

So, they are attempting to initiate a mineral tax and use projection of that tax to balance the budget. The only problem is that there is nothing to base those projection off of and it will require 2/3 of the County Commission to approve the mineral tax. Some Commissioners fear what impact that it might have citizens whose employers are affected by the mineral tax. It is a legitimate concern, as those companies are big employers in Jefferson County and we all know that decent paying jobs are hard to find.

There are no easy answers here. And the search has created some strange alliances. How long it will last and how strong those alliance have become still remains to be seen. Perhaps I am just more pessimistic than some, but when the political water start to shift and the waters turn murky, I always hear the theme from Jaws. Sometimes it is what you don’t see coming that sneaks up to bite you.