Thursday, March 25, 2010

Property Tax Amnesty Program?

Chisago County is on the brink of financial disaster. While pages and pages of home foreclosures and delinquent property tax records have been published in the local newspapers, Chisago County continues to discuss and evaluate emergency cost saving measures. Although staff layoffs and down-sizing county departments and public services have been considered, the urgency to implement creative financial solutions becomes more critical with each passing day.

A Property Tax Amnesty Program is one financial strategy which would help improve immediate cash flow into the county coffers. It would also provide taxpayers with a positive incentive to bring current their delinquent property taxes. At a time when many taxpayers are anticipating and receiving state and federal income tax refunds, implementing a Property Tax Amnesty Program could help resolve Chisago County’s urgent financial shortfalls.

More specifically, Chisago County commissioners should act quickly to adopt and implement a resolution whereby any Chisago County taxpayer who is currently delinquent on their property taxes could make a lump sum payment to the county for all past due taxes. The Property Tax Amnesty Program would allow the county to uniformly waive all late fees, interest and penalties in lieu of a lump sum payment which brings the net property taxes current. Once implemented, the Property Tax Amnesty Program could run for a fixed period of time, such as 6 months, 9 months or one year. At or near the end of the amnesty time period, commissioners could evaluate the program success to determine if the amnesty time period should be extended.

Implementing a Property Tax Amnesty Program today will help preserve the future of Chisago County.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Polishing Your Own Apple?

Perhaps inspired by the Fish Lake Karpa, Fish Lake Township has finally posted March 9, 2010, local election results on the township’s website. Fish Lake Township has previously posted election results only once in its website history; when incumbent Bob Carter narrowly defeated newcomer Pat Wortham. At that time, Fish Lake Township posted a large, streaming banner proclaiming Bob Carter’s triumphant victory in a brazen fashion described by some as “polishing your own apple.”

Will the Fish Lake Township website inform the public prior to the next township election who will be appearing on the ballot? Will the public be supplied with a sample election ballot or will the secrecy to inform only the “chosen few” voters continue to control the destiny of Fish Lake Township?

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Ignorance is Bliss?

Fish Lake Township local election results are not available on the township’s website, nor have they ever been except once. For a township whose website purports to be “created as a public service for the residents of Fish Lake Township,” why have sample election ballots and local election results not been provided to the public? Neighboring townships such as Lent and Sunrise provide excellent website service to their residents not only by providing sample ballots prior to their local elections, but by promptly posting election results by the end of the next day. So why not Fish Lake Township whose clerk is paid in excess of $750 per month? Why the secrecy about informing the public prior to an election who will be appearing on the ballot? Why the secrecy that incumbent Boob Carter was re-elected to serve yet another term by defeating Tim O’Keefe 78 – 3 on March 9, 2010? Perhaps Fish Lake Township should instead proclaim their website was “created as a public service for some residents of Fish Lake Township.”