Just My Opinion - by Mary Kilen
Election Day Is Just Two Weeks Away
As I write my column on Monday, election day is just over two weeks away. By the time you read this on Wednesday, it will be under two weeks away.
It seems like we have been building to this election forever. Candidates have been trying to get your support for what feels like years, even though for the most part it has not been that long.
This year in North Dakota, the ballot measures have garnered a lot of attention. There are five measures on the statewide ballot, although most of the attention has been focused on measures four and five.
I’ve got some strong feelings about measure four. Do I like having to write property tax checks every year? No. Do I wish there was relief? Of course I do. Do I think measure four is the right answer? No.
My concerns lie the same as many people. I’m concerned about the loss of local control. I know that the measure says that political subdivisions will be made whole, but that appears to be at current levels. Now, think about if you are expected to have the same revenue and expenditures every year. As a person or family, that is a challenge. For many, an unexpected vehicle expense or medical bill can upset the entire balance of things.
Imagine that now as a school, city, county, or township. As costs go up, employees want raises, a major project comes up, or even a shift in all of the things you are charged with taking care of, can tip the balance.
The same is true of the expectation that the state will be able to maintain making each of these entities whole, even at that 2024 level.
If you think that eliminating property taxes won’t mean increases in other ways, I want you to explain where those dollars will come from in the long run.
I agree that property tax reform is necessary. There are entities that have raised your taxes time after time. I was proud of our city and school district for choosing not to increase their mill levies this year. The temptation to take those mills up to the maximum allowed in order to protect future income should measure five pass had to be hard to deny. After all, we all want to provide some cushion for the unexpected.
I fear mostly for small, rural communities, trying to make their case to increase the funding they will receive as the state pledges to make them whole. We all know that the majority of legislators lie outside of western North Dakota and definitely outside of small rural communities. It is hard to compete with the larger cities and larger population bases already. Imagine if they are all asking for funding from the same available sources.
I think as citizens it is our responsibility to be involved in the decisions made by government when it comes to taxes. Every taxing district holds public hearings to discuss their budgets and their mill levies. I attend city council and school board meetings each month. Their budgets require both a preliminary and final budget meeting. At those meetings they discuss their anticipated revenues and expenditures. They look at all the ways they will raise the funds needed. That includes more than your annual mill levy. I can also tell you that I am usually the only spare face in the room when they have these hearings. There might be other visitors at the meeting, but I can’t remember the last time someone in the audience ever asked for further explanation of how they arrive at their final budget or the mill levy they will be setting for the year. Concerned about how your tax dollars are spent? Show up at these meetings or any other regular meeting and look for the answers. Minutes of meetings are public record. Budgets are public record. Expenditures and revenues are public record.
I won’t expand on my take on the other four statewide measures. I encourage you to read up on all the measures. Make an informed decision before you head to the polls. A copy of your ballots are in this week’s paper. The measures are described in the ballots.
Voters in Mountrail County will also see one countywide measure regarding ending weather modification. Some voters in Mountrail County will be voting on an ambulance district. Voters in Parshall will be voting on whether or not the city should sell their water treatment plant to the Three Affiliated Tribes.
If you have questions about any of the ballot measures before you head to the polls, do your research and find trusted sources to give you all of the information you need to be an informed voter.
If you think your vote doesn’t matter, think again. There are so many more issues to be resolved than just a presidential race. You will determine the results of all of the measures. You will determine people who serve us on a state level and legislatively.