Candidate Lou Lapaglia Encourages County to Remain at Second-Class Status
Lou Lapaglia, candidate for Christian County Presiding Commissioner submitted the following letter to the county on the issue of whether Christian County should move from second-class to first-class status at the beginning of 2011. Other letters, in support or rebuttal, from citizens around the county on this issue are encouraged to be submitted to Editor@ChristianCountySun.com.
I support keeping Christian County a second class county versus first class status and here’s why.
There is absolutely no advantage to the citizens of the county to be reclassified and there are serious, mostly financial, disadvantages. They include a loss of revenue from both the state and from the loss of fees that second class counties can collect but first class cannot. Most importantly is the increased cost to the county. State law would require the salaries of most of the elected officials to be increased. The additional cost of salaries alone is about $90,000 per year. Added to that is the additional taxes and retirement, which the county pays, and this easily exceeds $100,000 annually.
First class counties are required to hire a Highway Administer along with his/her staff and overhead expenses. The cost is unknown but probably would exceed another $100,000 annually. There are other changes within individual county offices that would be required. Altogether, everyone agrees that a switch to first class will cost the county $225,000 or more every year.
Can we afford it? The answer is NO. The Missouri State Auditor’s report of June 2010 reports the following: Cash balances as of Dec. 31 of the following years: 2007=$3,322,986/ 2008=$2,441,649/ 2009=$2,007,631 and 2010 projected budget of $972,796 of which about $380,000 was erroneously withheld from school property taxes and has to be repaid. The County Commission did not include this liability in its budget, thereby reducing the projected cash balance at the end of this year to about $600,000.
Only the Commissioners vote on this important issue, there is no public vote. The County is already spending more than it receives in revenues, a situation which will only worsen if the Commission votes to move to a first class county status.
The commissioners will vote on this by Dec. 31, 2010. If they vote to go first class, when I take office Jan. 1st 2011, I cannot rescind this. This is a very serious situation.
We must do all we can to influence the commissioners to stay 2nd class.
Lou Lapaglia,
Candidate, Presiding Commissioner Christian County.
and
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but first class cannot. Most importantly is the increased cost to the county. State law
would require the salaries of most of the elected officials to be increased. The additional
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and retirement, which the county pays, and this easily exceeds $100,000 annually.
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and overhead expenses. The cost is unknown but probably would exceed another
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be
$225,000
Can we afford it? The answer is NO. The Missouri State Auditor’s report of June
2010 reports the following: Cash balances as of Dec. 31 of the following years:
2007=$3,322,986/
$972,796 of which about $380,000 was erroneously withheld from school property taxes
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Lou
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