Four years ago, when Pat Bell assumed office as chairman of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners, her priority was fiscal accountability. By and large she (and her fellow commissioners) achieved that. Her successor, Hunter Bicknell, would be wise to follow suit.
Bell entered office at a time when the economy was strong and tax revenue was growing, but county spending was growing faster. Bicknell is in the opposite situation. The economy is in turmoil with no immediate relief in sight, and tax revenue is falling, yet the obligations of county government to fund operations and debt service remain.
In theory, Jackson County property owners should see a reduction in their tax bills due to falling property values. After all, as the value of property increased, tax assessments upon which bills are based were also increased. Today, with values falling, in a logical and fair world, all of our tax assessments would also decline. If that happens even to a small degree, coupled with declining revenue from sales taxes and building permits, the commissioners will have their hands full just making ends meet without substantial tax increases.
A strong county reserve fund will help, but until officials have a clear notion that economic recovery is at hand, managing the county’s spending — and keeping it equal to or less than county income — must be the top priority. Taxpayers have a right to expect government to be a good steward of their taxes, but that is never so important as when citizens are experiencing or worried about job loss or other financial issues. As taxpayers struggle to make ends meet, government must strive to be as little a burden upon the taxpayers as possible.
The challenge is enormous, but we expect our county government to meet it.
