Issues
Leading Douglas County into the future
Lower Taxes
I hear an outcry from friends and neighbors who are struggling to keep their homes. Great people who make this county what it is are being forced to look at other areas for places to live. The tax burden on residents is enormous because of the county’s ever-expanding budget. In 2019, the county budget was $103 million. The proposed 2025 budget is over $200 million. Inflation is up, times are hard, and during this economic downturn, the county has a duty to fiscally protect its citizens. We need representatives with the desire and discipline to lower taxes by reducing the budget and prioritize people over projects.
Sensible Spending
When our city and county governments accept grants to execute projects, they are often required to buy materials from out-of-state vendors, hire expensive out-of-state consultants, and award no-bid jobs to out-of-state companies. What a wasted opportunity. These projects present an opportunity to buy locally, utilize local experts, and bid jobs out to local companies. We need representatives who will focus on keeping our tax dollars in the local economy, enriching our own community, and utilizing the great minds and skills that make Douglas County such a great place to live.
Representation and Transparency
The Board of County Commissioners has been derelict in its duty to represent the constituents of Douglas County. Plans and studies for large projects that affect many residents have been brought before the board as consent agenda items instead of regular agenda items for discussion. This is being done in an attempt to circumvent the input of affected constituents from entering the public record and to keep the resistance at bay, in the dark, and unorganized, until the 11th hour. The voices from the small townships and rural areas are often the most affected and least heard.
We are also being kept in the dark about the county finances. Year after year the audited financial statements do not match what is published publicly. There is a pattern of overinflating the budget needs, underspending, and moving the leftover millions of tax dollars into the county’s slush fund. Presently, constituents cannot see the total cash accumulated, the number of accounts, nor the rates on said accounts. This money is not the county administration’s money. It is the citizen’s money, and we deserve 100% transparency.