Recently, a young couple that is having economic problems asked my council about starting a budget. They had made some unfortunate choices and now they faced the consequences. As I shared with them, and as you know, when your out go exceeds your income, problems follow. And there are only two remedies, and this is true if you are General Motors or a young couple living in Dodge County, either increase income or decrease expenses.
But, as you know, increasing income for individuals or businesses in Dodge County right now is not very likely. Businesses are moving out, closing down and cutting back to decrease their own expenses. So, the only option for this family is to cut spending, which is not a popular option. It doesn’t feel good to cut back. But, it is the responsible thing to do to live within your means.
You, as a board, face the same two options; increase income, which means more taxes, or decrease spending. The easy solution is to get more taxes. Think, for a moment, of the burden of additional taxes on this young couple and all the people of Dodge County. Look at our local papers and see the number of people who are already losing their homes to foreclosure. I urge you not to make the easy solution of increasing taxes, but rather, like the young couple I mentioned, like families and businesses across our great country, choose to do the responsible thing and cut expenses so we all can live within our means.
Thank you,
Terry Niblett
