We’re #1, we’re #1! Yes folks, Apple Valley is #1 at something! The Apple Valley City Council has failed the residents of our fine town once again. This time they have voted 4-1 in favor of passing the ridiculous levy which is meant to fund the unchanged 2009 budget. As discussed before, this places Apple Valley at the top of the tax increases for the entire South Metro. What an accomplishment! Way to go Apple Valley City Council!
According to articles in both the MNSun and Thisweek, the average Apple Valley resident will see a $40 increase over last year’s tax rate from Apple Valley’s levy alone as this does not include the 3.9% increase we will see from Dakota County. But don’t be too disheartened, at least the devaluing of your home will save you some cash this year. There’s nothing like being told that two wrongs make a right!
Sharon LaComb, apparently didn’t read my last post (don’t worry, I’m e-mailing them the link to this one so they know that they fucked up — again) as she reiterated the city council’s bullshit line that we’re all just paying for the park referendum we voted to approve. Thankfully Ruth Grendahl voted against the levy citing the obvious omission of any budget cuts which might have dropped the levy even a fraction of a percent. But of course the rest of the Apple Valley City Council had to come to the defense of the increase by making completely lame excuses such as those from Tom Goodwin and our ever-so-”green”-minded (read: money grubber) Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland. Take for example that they didn’t feel minor budget cuts would help and that the Apple Valley staff is very efficient so the highest tax increase in the South Metro should just be ok. Listen you halfwit dumbasses, it’s not fucking all right. In fact, what you have done is a major travesty and you should all be forcefully removed from office for your ignorance and general disregard for the wallets of Apple Valley’s taxpayers. I am calling for you to immediately relinquish your offices for a group who will attempt to repair the repeated fiscally irresponsible actions you have taken over the last year while operating under the excuse that it’s just not your fault.
I have called for you to answer my questions before and I have gone without a response. Well this time, being that I have e-mailed all of you, I expect you to respond here (on this website) to the people of Apple Valley. Explain yourselves and how you feel that you all deserve pay raises when you are failing so miserably at your jobs. I want details and I want them now. You are a fucking disgrace to the city and to the entire South Metro. You should all be ashamed that you proudly passed such a reprehensible budget and tax increase on to the residents of your suburb while admonishing them and the State for referendums and aid cuts.
Step down now before you perpetrate any more horrendous actions upon this city and before you do, make sure you apologize to each and every one of us for the stupidity that has permeated the Apple Valley City Council this year.
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December 18th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
December 18th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Bill, you always sound so angry. I was drawn to your site from the recent publicity and have read a lot of your posts. I wonder if you would benefit from walking in the shoes of a council member–guess you’d have to run for office and win to do that. Do you really think the council members are either out to do the city harm or are totally stupid? Just wondering.
December 19th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Momkat, you too should be angry that your taxes are going up because the city council is mismanaging funds. Other South Metro cities have made serious budget cuts to bring down the amount passed along to the taxpayers but Apple Valley doesn’t need to do that because it’s all the fault of the taxpayers themselves, right?
As to your question, no, I don’t believe either. I just feel that they aren’t doing everything they can to reduce the tax burden and this they are failing to do what they were elected to do.
December 19th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Momkat, not to speak for Bill, but a lot of taxpayers are frustrated, and perhaps what you read on this site is what people are muttering under their breath to themselves when they read about the latest government folly. The only difference being, Bill has a wider audience.
It’s a feeling of helplessness, that once people are in office, they seem to have a hard time connecting with how people are feeling about their decisions. In responst to the “take a walk in their shoes” idea, I know you can’t please everyone all the time, but some of this stuff is just senseless.
As to having all of the displeased run for office, I don’t think that’s a solution, either. Not everyone is cut out for that, or has time between two jobs and kids, or whatever their situation. But that doesn’t mean their opinion doesn’t count, or that they are just naysayers or backseat drivers. The point is, officeholders are trusted by the electorate to do the right thing while the electorate goes about daily lives making money, living, and paying taxes. When that trust appears to be misplaced, the electorate has a right (in fact a duty) to speak out about it. I know this is long winded, and I’m sorry, but it upsets me when people take the time to speak out about their opinions, and put their names on the line in doing so, and then are viewed as part of the problem.
December 19th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Bill, thanks for calling them out as it is appropriate. As a taxpayer, I expect the city council to at least try to live within their means. When I moved to AV from lakeville in 2005, I would have never guessed the massive tax increases.
Now I personally wish the voters would have turned down the massive park increase. This seems to give the council justification for further hikes.
December 19th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Amen Brother….
I do not know the specifics of your case there…. but I full well understand the politics, ethics, and morality of that situation.
Those of us who live our lives not wanting anything from government and do not look to government are eventually going to vested in participating.
Too much is being taken for uses outside of the appropriate purpose of Government.
December 19th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
My husband and I just had dinner at Old Chicago, spent about $35, which seems to be about what our taxes will go up next year with the new AV budget. Bill, I was surprised by the contrast between the ferocious anger over a small tax increase and the bon vivant restaurant reviews. I’ll probably read subsequent restaurant reviews here but have a feeling I’m seen as a troll by the other posters since our viewpoints are so different so I won’t be annoying you with comments on the non-restaurant items.
RyanG, I can see if you don’t spend any time in city or county parks or the library system and like me have no children for the school system, you can keep on not wanting anything from the local government. But you don’t even drive on taxpayer maintained streets and roads and would forego calling fire or police departments if the occasion arose?–wow, just wow.
December 19th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Momkat, I’ll let you know if I think you’re trolling — no worries there. In this case, I think that you’re doing exactly what I asked for which is offering your opinion on the matter and I’m fine with that. So don’t worry about what anyone else here thinks as this is my house and we play by my rules… Ok?
As for your analogy… So you went out to dinner with your husband and you spent $35. I don’t know about your situation but here in our household, even though I do restaurant reviews, we have scaled back our eating out budget quite a bit as well as just about everything else we do. We have taken steps to make sure that when we do go out to eat for the website that we’re doing it with coupons or taking advantage of other deals to make it more affordable. So, while we are still able to do all those things we used to do, we’re just not doing them quite as much and thus that’s the whole idea of trimming the fat from our budget so that we can still operate without adding to our debt burden. This is obviously something that the Apple Valley City Council doesn’t seem to understand. They should be trimming the fat from their budget and making cuts to ensure that while everything operates as it always did, it isn’t adding an additional burden.
The residents of Apple Valley are not the city council’s bank and we’re not here to give them a loan when they don’t know how to budget properly during lean times.
I hope that makes some more sense to you.
December 20th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Momkat,
It’s not the $35. It’s the fact that we have 200+ years of “small” tax increases. This adds up. Let me tell you a quick story, it might be TMI but follow along.
Since 2005, my portion of the taxes payable to AV city has increased $489.81; or 40.82 per month. No ISD 196 levies included. Now, that sounds like one additional meal out per month; money that would flow through the local economy. Instead I cannot even tell you what I got for it.
To help understand where I am coming from I moved from Lakeville in 2005. There my city taxes were $1410/yr less than now. Understand my house is worth a bit more… whatever … I consume the EXACT same city services. So from my perspective it costs almost 4 times as much to live in AV (lakeville was 25.28%)
So if you were me, how would you feel about $35? I’m very mad. … and need to get back to work to pay the bills. I wonder if the city council is working on a Saturday.
December 22nd, 2008 at 5:40 am
IMO the City of AV runs itself. Ask most residents who’s on the city council, and I’ll bet they can’t give one name. In fact, many AV residents don’t even know the mayor’s name. After your rant, maybe residents will pay attention. Thanks.