But notice this telling budgetary evidence of our county's priorities:
| Expenses for Urban and Economic Development: | $165,728.32 |
| Expenses for Conservation of Natural Resources: | $102,127.53 |
| Expenses for Culture and Recreation: | $800.00 |
No, I didn't miss any zeroes. Our county grudgingly shells out 0.02% of its budget to promote the cultural climate of Lake County (and the public liibrary had to argue hard to get even that much).
Maybe my capitalist friends can argue that government has no business frittering money away on the arts. But I would suggest that if our county commissioners can justify interfering in the natural functioning of the economy (why do entrepreneurs need handouts for economic development, anyway?), they can justify supporting the quality of life in its bailiwick by supporting the library, the parks, and other cultural institutions.
(While they're at it, they could also invest in a much better website. Contact numbers and e-mails and links to state agencies are a nice start, but we need a clearinghouse of local information: tax records, maps, etc.)
This harkens back to your earlier post on economic development. In Sioux Falls, a private developer is spending its own money on the "condotel" with indoor water park, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe developer must believe the market will support the venture.
Conversely, it would be hard to make the argument Madison's economy could sustain a new gym without government / tax funding.
So there are projects that can't survive on what the market dictates. They must have other funding.
So what criteria do we use to decide which projects to fund?
I would hope some consideration goes to cultural and educational activities.
On the subject of economic development funding... in the same way there's a corn check-off wherein corn producers fund research and marketing, why can't there be an economic development check-off? Industry funds future industrial growth? Don't know how that would work, but might as well throw it out there. Someone has to come up with alternatives, but I'm not hearing any.
Yes in Sioux Falls a private developer is constructing a water park in S. Falls. However, the "city fathers" still have their fair shares of wanting fancy, expensive things in the city. At the same time they are pushing for an indoor swimming pool and finishing up the Phillips to the Falls project, they are talking about cutting some of the paratransit services because the budget for that service is running over. They seem to have a hard time differentiating between luxeries and necessities.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Redhatter -- government does need to set priorities. If it's a choice between paratransit services (so folks with special needs can get to work) and a new swimming pool, paratransit services probably win.
ReplyDeleteBut we should also not lock ourselves into a false dilemma. I wouldn't want Lake County to cut a deputy sheriff's position to come up with library funding (not unless the library uses the money to get more books on self-defense), but maybe we can find funds elsewhere that help us maintain vital services but still increase support for the library.
Of course, we also have to think hard to come up with good definitions of "necessity" and "luxury." Where does a library fall on that spectrum? What obligation does county government have to support the library's mission (one fundamental to democracy, this teacher would suggest) to gather information and make it freely available to the public? The school district serves that function for the kids, but the library serves the citizenry as a whole.