The Dunn County “Patriots” are sending out a postcard that is filled with exaggerations and falsehoods. I thought it might be helpful to go through each point, one by one, to try to set the record straight.
Here are the actual facts:
- Dunn County is not drowning in debt. We are not $40 million in debt. Long term borrowing is essential for any municipality to pay for infrastructure projects, capital improvements and more. (You don’t just “write a check out” to pay for large scale projects.) The current level of county borrowing is around $32 million, and thanks to smart refinancing, that amount is set to decline significantly year after year. Nearly half of that borrowing was incurred to build our award winning nursing home, the Neighbors. Dunn County’s overall borrowing is at 17% of the limit set by the State of Wisconsin, so EXTREMELY low.
- We operate on a Capital Improvements Plan, a measured long-term plan for level borrowing of approximately $3 million each year for things like roads, squad cars, snowplows, updated 911 systems and more. Even with that level of borrowing, our debt is declining and will do so steadily through 2032.
- The “Patriots” claim our roads are underfunded and falling apart. Actually, the road maintenance and replacement schedule for Dunn County roads has improved in the eight years I’ve been in office, with the most traveled highway in the county, County Road B, scheduled for construction work yet this year. You can’t improve roads without borrowing.
- Dunn County is not squeezing property owners with higher taxes. In fact, the 2024 budget lowered the tax (mill) rate used to compute a homeowner’s tax bill by more than 14 percent (county share of the tax bill).
- Government accounting standards call for governments to maintain a fund balance of 25-35%. Dunn County exceeds 50% thanks to careful management of our finances. Our Standard and Poors bond rating is AA+.
- The “Patriots” say inflation is increasing, and suggest that the county is responsible. Inflation is currently at 3.15% compared to 6% last year at this time. To imply that Dunn County is responsible for the national wage-price cycle is crazy.
- The “Patriots” state on their postcard that “interest rates are on the rise,” implying that this is somehow the fault of elected Dunn County supervisors. Interest rates are managed by the US Federal Reserve, not tiny rural counties like Dunn County. While still high, interest rates are about 1 point lower than they were in January and projected to continue to fall.
- And finally, the “Patriots” claim that “healthcare is in rapid decline,” with a link to a right wing new article about “Medicaid Expansion” causing hospitals to fail. Wisconsin hasn’t accepted Medicaid expansion; if it had, that extra federal money that we are turning away could have helped stave off recent closures of medical facilities in the region. Dunn County is not responsible for our national or regional healthcare systems. However, Dunn County IS working closely with other partners to pick up the pieces and keep our residents healthy even with the closure of major regional providers.
Do your research. Review the numbers. Look at the facts before you vote. Thank you for reading!
