As one might expect, there is considerable disparity, among Minnesota’s 87 counties, in the burdens local governments impose on taxpayers– ranging from a minimum of 2.8 percent of personal income in Winona County to a high of 7.5 percent in Cook County (2014 figures, most recent figures available from the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence; but, believe me…the more recent figures don’t get any better).
County Budgets
The Minnesota Government Information Division (Office of the State Auditor) publishes an annual summary of budget data for Minnesota’s 87 counties.
Having recently finished reading a weighty Russian novel written in the mid-1800s, I decided to dig into the state auditor’s treatise; which, strangely enough, was released on the Ides of March 15, 2017 . . . usually a bad omen which, historically, hasn’t championed good news.
To no surprise, I found Hennepin County continues to hold claim to the highest county budget in the state, at a bit over $1.7 billion– what’s a few more dollars when you’re talking billions? . . . a sum that more than doubles that of their next-door neighbor to the east, Ramsey County, second highest in the state, coming in at around the $631 million mark.
The county with the lowest 2017 budget was Red Lake at $7 million (upper northwest corner of the state on about the same longitude as Cook County).
Speaking of Cook County, where did our 2017 budget rank among the state’s 87 counties?
We ranked 68 at $18.7 million, meaning roughly 22 percent of the counties operate with budgets lower than us; and coincidently, all but two of those 22 percent were included in the county’s peer group study for benchmarking compensation for county employees.
County Populations
Hennepin County ranks number 1 in population, as well as budget, at approximately 1.3 million residents. And, it falls in line that Ramsey County, with the second highest budget, supports the second highest population in the state with 548,000 residents.
Innate intelligence would suggest there is a direct correlation between a county’s budget and a county’s population–and the resulting burden it imposes on taxpayers. This factor– among other things–can present indisputable problems.
There are only five counties that have fewer people than Cook County–we rank 82 out of the state’s 87 counties, when it comes to inhabitants.
If the conventional saying is to be believed, “Many hands make the load lighter,” then, it stands to reason, we either need to lessen the load or increase the number of hands doing the lifting.
Thinking needs to change if this is ever going to happen.
While Cook County’s population has remained stagnant over the last several years, the weight of the county’s budget has not. The numbers have become staggering, given the supporting base of our population; placing an ever-increasing burden on the few.
With the election for county board seats coming up this fall, residents in those voting districts will have to ask themselves whether they are happy with the status quo, or are looking to make a change.
Former Cook County Commissioner Garry Gamble is writing this ongoing column about the various ways government works, as well as other topics.
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