Loading...
Legislative Letters THE CITY OF City Manager's Office 50 West 13th Street Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4864 (563) 589-4110 phone (563) 589-4149 fax ctymgr@cityofdubuque.org r ) 1 ,"'='=-",-=-o~.::",;;:;~.'...__c............~,_=~~ "":"_"~ .."-;=0:. ~c/de-~ ~~....... .: i \ I April 28, 2005 VIA Email and 1 sl Class Mail Mike.con nolly@leqis.state.ia.us The Honorable Mike Connolly Iowa State Senator 2600 Renaissance Dr #3 Dubuque, IA 52001 Re: HF 847 Dear Senator Connolly, I am writing to encourage you to vote no on HF 847, a property tax limitation bill. This bill would negatively impact the available property tax base for cities. HF 847 makes several changes relating to property taxes, assessments and local budgeting requirements. This bill would tie together the taxable valuation growth for residential, agricultural, commercial and industrial classes of property and limit the increase of the taxable valuation to the lowest percentage for all of these classes or 4.0%, whichever is lowest. State revenue projections based upon this scenario would decrease revenues for taxing authorities by $51.8 million statewide in the first year and $267.4 million by 2016. HF 847 does not provide for a comprehensive approach to real property tax reform rather this bill will worsen an antiquated rollback system that doesn't work. This bill would also require cities to fund essential services that are already mandated by the Iowa Code. This mandate includes some services such as street improvements, street lights and refuse collection are funded by other funding sources yet through HF 847 they will be tied to general fund property tax dollars. HF 847 would further restrict local city budgets. As you know, the impact of funding cuts in 2003 to local governments was approximately $60 million statewide. These cuts were devastating to the City of Dubuque as it resulted in a reduction of $1,195,425 in revenue or 3.54 percent of Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork the general fund operating expense. Should the legislature pass HF 847, the impact would be significant and would likely mean increased fees for existing services, reduction of services and expenses through the elimination of city staff. As a member of the Senate Ways and Means subcommittee, I strongly encourage you to oppose HF 847. Thank you for your continued support. Sin/felYA /' ffL ;I lvtZ.,Lc'~ ~')".( ( Michael C. Van Milligen City Manager MCVM:cms Cc: Mayor Terry Duggan Dubuque City Council Susan Judkins, Director of Governmental Affairs, Iowa League of Cities Rick Engelken, City Assessor Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Dawn Lang, Budget Director May 9,2005 VIA Email and 1 st Class Mail << Email >> <<CompleteLOCALName _Address>> Re: Amendment S-3310 of HF 882 Dear <<Title>> <<Lasb>, I am writing to encourage you to support Amendment S-3310 of HF 882, the Standing Appropriations bill. This bill would establish a floor to the residential rollback of 47.964% for three years. During that time the Iowa Department of Management and the Iowa Department of Revenue would be required to study the effects of establishing a residential rollback floor and reports their findings to the Legislature by January 15, 2009. The residential roll back system is an outdated method of taxation that was meant to be a short-term fix to bring the distribution of revenues from Agricultural, Industrial, Commercial and Residential revenues in balance. This system continues to represent an annual decline in revenues and reduces our revenue base despite escalating costs in services (i.e. insurance, fuel). The city of Dubuque did an analysis of what our revenues would have been if the rollback would have been frozen in fiscal year 2004 to try and measure impact. In FY 04 the residential taxable value revenue with rollback at .513874 equaled $8,443,617. In FY 05 the actual residential taxable value revenues with rollback at .484560% were $8,558,527 and in FY 06 are estimated to be $8,660,755. However, had a rollback floor been established in FY 04, the impact to commercial businesses in the city if Dubuque would have been a reduction of $1,136,688 ($ 517,758 in FY 05 and $618,930 in FY 06) in commercial revenue needed. The residential rollback creates an undue burden on other classes of service and I strongly encourage you support Amendment S-3310 of HF 882. Thank you for your continued support. Sincerely, Michael C. Van Milligen City Manager MCVM:ksf cc: Mayor Terry Duggan Dubuque City Council Susan Judkins, Director of Governmental Affairs, Iowa League of Cities Rick Engelken, City Assessor Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Dawn Lang, Budget Director The Honorable Mike Connolly Iowa State Senator 2600 Renaissance Dr #3 Dubuque, IA 52001 The Honorable Pam Jochum Iowa State Representative 2368 Jackson Dubuque, IA 52001 The Honorable Steven Lukan Iowa State Representative 7365 Columbus Street New Vienna IA 52065 The Honorable Tom Hancock Iowa State Senator 310 E Main Street Epworth, lA, 52045 The Honorable Pat Murphy Iowa State Representative 155 N. Grandview Avenue Dubuque, IA 52001 The Honorable Ray Zirkelbach Iowa State Representative 637 W. First Street Monticello, IA 52310 The Honorable Roger Stewart Iowa State Senator 3936317 Avenue Preston, IA 52069 The Honorable Thomas Schueller Iowa State Representative 503 W. Platt Street Maquoketa,IA 52060 May 2,2005 VIA Email and 1 st Class Mail <<Email>> <<CompleteLOCALName _Address>> Re: HF 861 Dear <<Title>> <<Lash>, I am writing to thank you for your support in retaining the rights of cities to form a municipal utility and to encourage you to vote no for HF 861, the telecommunication utility legislation, and the proposed amendment H-1474. This bill, even with the amendment, substantially restricts the ability of a new municipal utility from proceeding in the establishment and financing of a telecommunications utility. The additional requirements proposed in HF 861 are onerous as current Iowa law already imposes fair and reasonable limitations on the establishment and financing of municipal telecommunications utilities. HF 861 and amendment H-1474 would require an extensive and costly feasibility study which would be used to limit the ability of a city to exceed the cost of the system unless an additional election was held. This would impact a city's ability to expand the system to newly annexed property. In addition, the bill requires that only revenues from the facility itself can be used to finance the system - which makes the ability for the city to finalize the project virtually impossible. The bill contains requirements regarding feasibility studies that have the practical effect of barring a proposal from ever being considered by the public. I strongly encourage you to oppose HF 861. Thank you for your continued support. Sincerely, Michael C. Van Milligen City Manager MCVM:cs Cc: Mayor Terry Duggan Dubuque City Council Susan Judkins, Director of Governmental Affairs, Iowa League of Cities Rick Dickinson, Greater Dubuque Development Corporation Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager The Honorable Mike Connolly Iowa State Senator 2600 Renaissance Dr #3 Dubuque, IA 52001 The Honorable Pam Jochum Iowa State Representative 2368 Jackson Dubuque, IA 52001 The Honorable Tom Hancock Iowa State Senator 310 E Main Street Epworth, lA, 52045 The Honorable Steven Lukan Iowa State Representative 7365 Columbus Street New Vienna IA 52065 The Honorable Roger Stewart Iowa State Senator 3936317 Avenue Preston, IA 52069 The Honorable Ray Zirkelbach Iowa State Representative 637 W. First Street Monticello, IA 52310 May 2, 2005 VIA Email and 1 st Class Mail <<Email>> <<CompleteLOCALName _Address>> Re: HF 861 Dear <<Title>> <<Lash>, I am writing to encourage you to vote no for HF 861, the telecommunication utility legislation, and the proposed amendment H-1474. This bill, even with the amendment, substantially restricts the ability of a new municipal utility from proceeding in the establishment and financing of a telecommunications utility. The additional requirements proposed in HF 861 are onerous as current Iowa law already imposes fair and reasonable limitations on the establishment and financing of municipal telecommunications utilities. HF 861 and amendment H-1474 would require an extensive and costly feasibility study which would be used to limit the ability of a city to exceed the cost of the system unless an additional election was held. This would impact a city's ability to expand the system to newly annexed property. In addition, the bill requires that only revenues from the facility itself can be used to finance the system which makes the ability for the city to finalize the project virtually impossible. The bill contains requirements regarding feasibility studies that have the practical effect of barring a proposal from ever being considered by the public. I strongly encourage you to oppose HF 861. Thank you for your continued support. Sincerely, Michael C. Van Milligen City Manager MCVM:cs Cc: Mayor Terry Duggan Dubuque City Council Susan Judkins, Director of Governmental Affairs, Iowa League of Cities Rick Dickinson, Greater Dubuque Development Corporation Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager The Honorable Pat Murphy Iowa State Representative 155 N. Grandview Avenue Dubuque, IA 52001 The Honorable Thomas Schueller Iowa State Representative 503 W. Platt Street Maquoketa, IA 52060