Watching the county board deal with the situation created by the passage of the 1% sales tax referendum has produced more concern than comfort.
The referendum was marketed with a basket of wish list projects totaling around $26,000,000. The bill that passed enabling the 1% sales tax limits the projects that can be funded by the tax revenue to a total of $20,000,000 plus costs related to financing the projects.
Recently we have seen the board commit $112,500 to fund a feasibility study of the biomass project and to be presented with a request to triple the cost and funding of the Superior National Golf Course project to $3,000,000. Until the board deals with the reality that the sales tax proceeds cannot fund the projected projects and either eliminates projects, allocates specific funding to approved projects or admits that they intend to fund all the projects fully by increasing property taxes, the circus will go on. They will face increased lobbying from project supporters and likely more budget creep in project funding requests.
Theyneed to tell us and the project proponents what their intentions are now. The longer they procrastinate, the more difficultthis is going to be for everyone.
Another issue to be faced, if and when all or some of the proposed projects are completed, is what it is going to cost to operate, maintain and replace them in the future. If these projects are being proposed and built because the sales tax funds are “free money in large part paid by tourists” the after-construction costs are going to be paid in “real money by Cook County taxpayers.” I hope the board understands that: 1. Thegolden goose (1% sales tax)
can and will only lay $20,000,000 worth of eggs. Your juggling of close to $30,000,000 worth of
egg orders (project requests) is
unsettling and unproductive.
2. Theeggs (projects) picked to
incubate and hatch will not likely be golden geese (profitable or self sustaining), but could well be albatrosses (costly to maintain).
Consider this when you evaluate
and fund projects.
3. All of us would be more
comfortable if we could be assured that they understand our concerns about budget creep and ongoing costs by making the tough decisions necessary now!
John Lindell
Grand Marais
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