OP-ED Published in LINK NKY
It is no secret that I am a believer in small government and limited taxes. Government has become far too big, bloated and way too involved with many aspects of our lives, from the federal government to the local level.
However, I do believe that there are some basic, essential functions that government should support such as public safety, infrastructure and a strong national defense. And while there isn’t much I can do as a county official in the way of a strong national defense except be a strong advocate for it, there are steps I can take a policy perspective that do impact the public safety and infrastructure needs right here in Boone County.
Currently in Boone County, as with all the other counties in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, we are discussing our ad valorem taxes in Kentucky. If you are unfamiliar with the term, which admittingly I was until I become an elected official in 2019, ad valorem taxes are defined by the Kentucky Revised Statues (KRS) chapter 132.020. Ad valorem is a property tax in which a tax is based on assessed monetary value. Fiscal courts can levy property taxes on real property, such as your land and buildings (This would be your house or business property located within the county), and tangible property such as motor vehicles and equipment.
All 120 counties levy taxes and while some are extremely high, here in Boone County we have some of the lowest property tax rates in the Commonwealth.
Boone County currently has a real property tax assessment rate of 9.6, meaning we tax 9.6 cents for every $100 of assessed value on your property. Due to our well managed growth we find ourselves in the unique position of being able to roll that tax rate from 9.6 to 9.2 and still recognize four percent more revenue than the previous year.Four percent is the maximum allowable growth of revenue a county can receive from the previous year without calling for special ballot votes.
This year, that four percent will total generate about $607,000 in additional funding. Given my strong stance on opposing irresponsible spending I have proposed to the fiscal court to restrict those funds – as I’ve done in the past couple – and only allow the funds to be spent on county road infrastructure improvements and nothing else.
Funding county roads is a critical function of the fiscal court. Each year Frankfort allocates money to each county based on an archaic formula that was devised in the 1940s. This model is convoluted and difficult to understand and Boone County typically winds up on getting the short end of the stick.
For instance, in 2014 we received just shy of $1.2 million in county road aid funds from Frankfort. But each following, we have received less money.
This year the county is scheduled to receive about $815,000. Indexed against the 38 percent inflation we have experienced since 2014, we are down about $600,000 in less spending power than 10 years ago.
Boone County has 455 miles of county road to maintain, which is up 3.5 miles from 2019 and steadily growing. We have 55 bridges in our county roadways system, including seven that still have wood guard rails.
Our state delegation – the elected House and Senate members who represent Boone County – are working hard for us in Frankfort. However, due to petty Frankfort politics, our legislators have been kept mostly on the sideline by leadership and have had difficulty securing the funding that Boone County – the fourth largest county in the state – needs and deserves.
Frankfort politics are childish and needs an overhaul. But that will take time, and unfortunately time is not something that we have here when it comes to aging infrastructure liabilities.
So, as one of your four elected county leaders I have come to recognize that our options are limited. We can continue to hope and pray that the swap machine of Frankfort and the Democratic led Governors office will do the right thing and take care of our needs.
Or, we can do what Boone County has historically done, and that is pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and come up with innovative solutions to solve the problem ourselves while making sure that the revenues coming in are protected and restricted for county road ways and nothing else.
This means that the additional funding coming in – while the county still provides one of the biggest property tax roll back rates in Kentucky – will not restricted for anything other than taking care of our county roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
This will help give us about $2 million a year to help maintain and repair some dangerous roads in the western part of the county as well as ensure that we have a sustainable plan going forward.
Good roads mean higher property values, safer travels for our children and first responders and a better quality of life for all Boone Countians. As long as I am fortunate enough to serve our community, I will do all I can to ensure that our public safety and infrastructure needs are not only met, but also exceeded for future generations, making it safe for our grandchildren and their children.
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