NTF Worksheet: douglascounty5.doc.  8-04. 

NEBRASKA TAXPAYERS FOR FREEDOM WORKSHEET:
ANALYSIS OF DOUGLAS COUNTY BUDGET:  FY 2004-2005.

BACKGROUND.  Nebraska counties are still reeling financially from the recessive economy.  Federal revenue sources, like grant monies, are dwindling.  State aid is decreasing, as state government faces an ongoing deficit. Local property taxpayers stand yoked to the hilt with rising property valuations and taxes.  Nebraska county governments must consider both long-term and short-term trims and institutionalized budget cuts, instead of raising taxes, in establishing yearly budgets. 

 BUDGET CUT SUGGESTIONS. The following is a list of suggested budget cuts from NTF:
 1.       end funding for 4H and extension programs.
 2.       end support for extraneous services, like the Douglas County law library, or increase its user fees.
 3.       share services and merge departments with adjacent rural counties.  We realize that you already are doing this, with 5 counties managing several social services together.  Interlocal agreements prove every time to save taxpayers money.
4.       request your lobbyist to lobby to lift state mandates, like required interpreters.
5.       make only 1-yr. contracts with county employees, because economic fluctuations make it undesirable to lock in multi-year contracts.
6.       make employees pay at least 30% of health insurance premium costs for individuals, couples, and families.
7.       cut seasonal employees and reduce park maintenance.
8.       your corrections costs have risen dramatically.  Make inmates pay a portion of their incarceration costs.*
9.       consolidate within yourself before you consolidate with the city.  Merging the offices of the County Clerk and Register of Deeds would improve services and save taxpayer dollars.  Both offices have staff knowledgeable about real estate transactions, both maintain official county records, and 77 of 93 NE counties already have consolidated these 2 offices, etc.
10.   obtain bulk rates on purchasing office supplies by joint purchasing with other local subdivisions.
11.   institute joint computer and other training of personnel.
12.   Dot.Comm was supposed to consolidate city and county information services.  We question how this system is operating.  The county election commissioner had to work through Dot.Comm to move office computers.  The Omaha Police Academy had to pay Dot.Comm to install phones at its new academy.  It wanted to charge the City of Omaha Police Division $14,000 to move computers and phone lines.  To save money, police officers moved the computers themselves.  This company supposedly was going to save taxpayers money, yet it spent $921,000 on consulting fees.  Its FY 2005 increase in your budget is over $868,000. We urge you to cancel its contract before it runs out.
13.   peg property/casualty deductibles of $2,500 or $5,000 and on workers compensation.
14.   delete physical damage coverage on old, low-value vehicles.

*Pay to stay covers security, utility, medical care, food, and transportation costs.  Klamath Falls, OR. County jail has raised $25,000 per year at a cost of $10,000 to administer.  The program begins after release of an inmate.  He must pay in full or by a payment plan.  If he refuses, the county takes him to small claims court, where a judge can garnish his wages.  The sheriff there eliminated from the jail menu ketchup, salt, pepper, and coffee, to save $30,000 per year.  He charges inmates $60 daily.  This idea has spread to about 1/3 of U.S. county jails.1  Missouri county jails gleaned $384,000 from inmates in 2004 as of May, according to the Missouri Att.-Gen.  Most states allow local jails to impose fees on inmates, for room and board, phone use, haircuts, or medical care.  Savings from reducing overutilization of services occurs.2  Fairfax Co. Virginia charges inmates $1 per day to cover meals.  The Virginia legislature authorized local governments to charge a daily fee of up to $1.  Fees now apply in Portsmouth, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach.  Montgomery and Prince George Counties in Maryland charge prisoners for specific services and provisions.  They charge prisoners on work release more than $1 per day.  The latter county levies medical fees of $4, because some prisoners feign sickness and waste physician and nurse time.  Prisoners who work at jobs or on home detention return 1 day of pay each week to the county.3

CONCLUSION.  In conclusion, because Douglas County accounts for about 12% of total property taxes levied on a home, we appreciate your not raising the property tax levy rate; however, remember that average valuations on property have risen between 4% and 7+% this year in Douglas County.  We also offer the following recommendations:
·         Place copies of the proposed budget in libraries in the county at least 2 weeks before public budget hearings, so that citizens have sufficient time to look at and analyze annual budgets. Place copies of the proposed budget on the county web site, so that citizens can study it at home.
·         Set your public budget hearing at a specific evening hour, so that more working (taxpaying) people can attend, and at a more centralized location with adequate parking.

Research, analysis, and documentation for this worksheet done by Doug Kagan and Steve Sfiers.  This material copyrighted and notarized by Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom, with express prior permission for its use by Taxwatchers, Inc., Citizens for Local Control, Cherry County Taxpayers, Dawes County Taxpayers, and other groups in the Tax Freedom Network.   8-04    C