Jordan Independent - If you were running for council, how would you keep taxes low? - Comments

Here, here! I can agree with

Mathias Baden — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:30:14 -0500

Here, here! I can agree with most every word of that.

(Mathias Baden is the editor of the Jordan Independent. He can be reached at editor@jordannews.com.)

Jordan in the past has not

Johnnie14 — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:25:38 -0500

Jordan in the past has not paid its employees very well, that is why we have lost so many talented employees and have had to start over with new ones time and time again. The current staff is very talented and that is why we must keep them around and compensate them up to par with others in their fields. Keeping them around has saved lots of money in both local knowledge and knowledge of their respective fields. Jordan actually has postponed planned staff number increases, that just means the ones we have are carrying a heavy work load, which in these slower times is a necessary step.

I think the question about

Mathias Baden — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:32:02 -0500

I think the question about freezing wages is a fair one, though, Johnnie14. Why is the city bound to giving pay increases across the board? To the public, many of whom haven't received such generosity in a downward-spiraling economy, the annual 3 percent increases typical in many governments seems high.

Yes, the majority of the city's employees, unionized or not, probably would oppose the idea of a wage freeze. Negotiating a wage freeze with the unions would be difficult, maybe impossible. There are some employees who are not in the union, right? Could their wages be frozen for the time being?

Paying the best and brightest city employees well enough to keep them around is important, as well as keeping the city budget in check. It's a difficult issue.

I'm only asking the question, offering a wage freeze as an example of a measure that with city council support could be taken, not saying I'm in favor one.

(Mathias Baden is the editor of the Jordan Independent. He can be reached at editor@jordannews.com.)

The city has been able to

Johnnie14 — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:49:07 -0500

The city has been able to cut costs a tremendous amount the past few years, eating the loss of all the state aid. The state aid was an extremely large precentage of the general fund, the average person doesn't realize how well the city staff has done on this.

You can't freeze wages, the majority of the city employees are under union contracts. It's called the law!

Jordan runs a very tight budget, that's why a decrease in property values scews the precentages (tax rate). The reason for this is that if most people values drop, the pie doesn't shrink, the same general fund needs to be paid. Hence the percentages quagmire. We are in much better shape than our neighbors, from both a tax rate and in-terms of services provided.

If you were running for council, how would you keep taxes low?

Mathias Baden — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:00:00 -0500

Economic times are tough, and the city is trying to keep taxes low. Would you support cutting costs, saving money, or even freezing wages? What other options do you see?