Polk County Admits Error in Projected Property Tax Rate in Proposed Courthouse

DES MOINES, IA -- Polk County officials admitted Monday that the projected tax rate they have been using for the $132,000,000 bond on the proposed new courthouse addition was in error. The county's projections and tax impact analysis used a proposed new tax rate of $0.55291 per $1,000 valuation, when in fact it is $0.59337. County taxpayers should take note of this new rate. This is a 7.3% increase in the property tax rate county taxpayers are facing above what the county first disclosed on this proposal.

George Davey, Chairman of CitizensForReasonableJustice.com, a local committee opposing the proposal, said today, "This just fits the pattern in Polk County of ineptitude and oversight. Taxpayers have lost all confidence in the Supervisors with one misstep, forgotten budget item (jailers for the new jail), and failed oversight (CIETC) after another."

The International Monetary Fund announced yesterday that the America mortgage crisis could cost one trillion dollars and that there will be no US recovery in the second half of this year and economic activity will not begin to expand again until some time into next year. Davey hopes with this serious recession facing us all and in light of last summer's Project Destiny flop that someone in the county government should soon regain their common sense.

It looks like taxpayers will have to help them do that again April 29 with another NO vote.

This courthouse proposal is at least twice as large as they need, will add 70 additional county employees, and will cost an additional $4,000,000 a year in operating costs on top of $10,000,000 per year to service the debt. With property taxes escalating the last five years - standing at $105,000,000 this year - we don't need to slap on another $14,000,000 in one year, Davey said.

Media Contact
George Davey
PolkJustice.com
515-558-6155

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