Officials with area governmental entities are frustrated as they are in the process of putting the finishing touches on their next fiscal year budgets.
Hardin County Supervisor BJ Hoffman tells Radio on the Go News that ever since House File 718 was signed into law, it has caused many problems.
“The allowable growth capped at 3%. So even in the best situation, if an amazing manufacturer or housing development, something big came to Hardin County, the realized growth could be capped. Your ability to tax on that growth, which we’d rather tax on growth than tax people where there’s already property in place. To limit that capping how much we can tax on growth really put a burden on a lot of taxpayers. And without creating too much burden, it was just easier as a government typically has a spending problem rather than a savings problem. We decided we would cut rather than to increase taxes.”
Hoffman says it’s time to engage more with those at the state level.
“We need to bring individuals like Governor Reynolds, Director Garcia from Health and Human Services, Senator Sweeney, Representative Meggers to our budget session so they see what we’re up against. Because until you witness what we went through, I don’t think the picture is as clear as it could be.”
Hoffman says there are also too many unfunded mandates coming from the state government.