Board’s pay issue worth remembering

On Feb. 20, the Linn County supervisors (except for Brent Oleson) voted to increase their individual salary by 25 percent to $92,953, up from $74,362. In addition, the supervisors also increased their salaries by another 2 percent, effective July 1, and 2 percent more on Jan. 1. This action follows the 2009 increase from three to five supervisors and a pay decrease when it was believed that five would do the work of three.

On March 13, the supervisors approved a tax rate on the county's portion of the local property tax bill that will raise the average homeowner's property tax, going to the county, by about 4 percent.

When elected officials exercise their best fiscal restraint resulting in a 25 percent-plus salary increase for those same officials, it should not be a surprise that tax increases follow. It should now be understandable why the auditor of Linn County believes that supervisor expenditures (and others) need to be audited.

It is said that a public office is a public trust. Come election time, the voters will have to trust their own better judgment and send a message that they will not be fooled again.

Dave DeWalle

Marion