Northwestern Editorial Off-Base

We also think that, after cuts are made, the county needs to look at how to raise revenues without raising the taxes of property owners.

http://www.wisinfo.com/northwestern/news/opinion/stories/opinion_22973435.shtml

Dear Northwestern - Mr. Harris is not trying to increase taxes on homeowners - he is proposing to cut property taxes. He is trying to raise revenue for essential services and hold down property taxes at the same time.

He’s also overlooking the potential savings of privatizing Park View Health Center. Health care costs are too big a burden on a county budget with severe spending restrictions for the next two years. County government probably will have some financial ties to helping its most indigent, but that doesn’t mean it has to run the physical plant.

I guess I can understand the point the Northwerstern is making here. Afterall, they chose not to attend the educational session at the library where a member of the Eau Claire county board outlined why privatizing the nursing home actually cost the taxpayers a higher amount and reduced service.

Yet, the Northwestern endorses a 1.3 million dollar tax increase for the city of Oshkosh:

Let’s have our Oshkosh Common Council give serious discussion to privatizing the garbage service and removing it as a city cost altogether. The city budget for garbage collection in 2005 is about $1.3 million that could become a huge savings in 2006.

http://www.wisinfo.com/northwestern/news/opinion/stories/opinion_22956171.shtml

All this proposes is removing 1.3 million dollars from tax roles to fees. The 1.3 million can then be still charged as tax for other city needs, and collected as garbage fees for a required service. This is merely a shell game. It is not as if the city will allow you to save that money by piling up your garbage in your back yard.

Final Thought: The Northwestern needs to be more consistant and proactive in it's matter of covering the links between fees, taxes and service.