There are things you know. There are things you know you don’t know. Then there are things you don’t know — so you don’t know you don’t know. If you think about it, you know these things.
The city and county governments might well remember this when they discuss our unfair taxation for the taxpayers in Henderson tomorrow. Many refer to this as the “Joint-Funding Ventures,” but, in plain and simple language, it is unfair taxation.
First, what do we know about this unfair taxation? We know it started with the blessings of the county commissioners and the county manager. We know it started without a vote from the people. We know it started when the city was financially solvent. And we know it started with contracts that specifically spelled out how it could be stopped. We also know that times and situations have changed over the course of these contracts. We know it was unfair then, and it is unfair now, even if it was more financially feasible back then.
What do we know that we know we do not know? We do not know what went on behind closed doors that led the city to agree to this unfair taxation in the first place. We do not know if the city leaders thought they were more progressive than the county. We do not know if they thought the county would never have a good library, recreation department, airport, or 911 center unless the city showed them the way. We do not know why and how, but we do know the city was outsmarted by the county in these contracts.
Did the city think this was a good way to do business? Did the city think this was the usual way to do business? Did the city leaders think the city taxpayers were going to stay asleep at the switch and never question the way they were being doubly taxed? Did they think they would be gone long before these issues were publicly debated and the unfairness made apparent? We do not know, but we do know we were left a legacy of paying far more than our fair share by the very elected officials who were supposed to be looking after our city and its future.
What else do we know? We know that when these contracts were made, the city was not obligated to release public information the way they are now because the laws were not as stringent. Open meeting laws, the Freedom of Information Act, and government ethics reform was non-existent then, or in its infancy. We know it is not likely that the city leaders ever foresaw a time when the computer and the Internet would allow people to become very aware of what their elected officials were doing in real time and allow people to become more educated about their city finances, obligations, and essentials.
Here are a few other things we know. We know the city cannot provide adequate essential services because they do not have the money. The best they can do is react to problems and, even then, they are behind the eight ball. We know ending this unfair taxation will give the city more money. The city needs this money for the health and safety of it citizens. We know it is time to end these contracts and look after Henderson first. The county has been well served long enough by this unfair taxation.
The county has prospered and the city has been diminished, as evidenced by their respective fund balances.
The county government is responsible for all of us, while the city government is exclusively responsible for the citizens in the city. We know the obligation of our elected leaders in the city and our city management is to provide for our welfare within the city. We know they can better attempt to do this job with money. We know ending this unfair taxation will give them much more money. We also know the county will likely resist any change. Making the formula fair would mean that the county no longer gets the great advantage of a significantly larger piece of the pie at a fraction of the cost.
City government knows we know a lot. One thing we know that we do not know is why the city government is so reluctant to do what is ethical, fair, progressive, intelligent, professional, and economically essential for city residents in ending this unfair taxation. We know they know how to do it. We know it is legal and ethical to do it. We know it is intelligent to do it. We know makes economic sense to do it. We know it makes political sense to do it. We know it is fair to do it. We know we want it done, and we know they are elected to serve us.
City council: show us you know what is right, and end this unfair taxation swiftly and effectively in this budget year. A miserable end is better than this endless misery.
We all know that.