I have just received an email outlining how Albert Lea compares with other cities in southern Minnesota. It was no surprise that Albert Lea has the lowest average family income in the area. Albert Lea has seen its population drop over the past 20 years and has the highest property taxes and lowest family income in the region.

I will wager that Albert Lea has the greatest number of governmental employees per thousand residents of any of these cites. I challenge the Tribune to do an in-depth study of the growth of city, county, school, state and federal employees over the past 50 years. I’ll bet that there are over five times more public employees now then in, say 1960. The population is shrinking, and the percentage over the age of 60 is growing.

The need for any new public buildings must be seriously challenged. Some may say we need the new buildings to attract new industry. That is the same argument used to push the new high school through a number of years ago. I supported the school, but I question if any family or industry has moved to Albert Lea just because we have a new high school. New buildings may be more efficient. As always the case, they will require additional staff to care for them.

The key reason why industry is not moving to Albert Lea is the lack of an employable pool of qualified, reliable workers and the high property taxes in the city and county.

None of the proposed new buildings will add to the tax base. They will, however, add to the property tax burden of the residents. With the high number of residents with limited resources or living on Social Security, higher taxes is the last thing we need.

Under the current conditions, Albert Lea and Freeborn Counties future prospects are at best stagnant. More fancy edifices will not correct this problem. It will simply increase the tax burden.

If you are a renter, you may think the current proposed spending spree will not effect you. Think again, if your landlord’s taxes go up, I will guarantee your rent will go up.

I am not anti-Albert Lea. I have lived here my whole life and believe that it used to be a great place to live and raise a family, but sadly no longer. It is time to take a serious look at ways to reduce the taxes on local residents.

For once, I am firmly in Dan Belshan’s corner and challenge all other elected officials to take a very serious look at the area’s future and reject staff proposals for new buildings. After all, who is in charge? Increasing property taxes will simply drive potential residents and industries away.

Could it be time to consider slashing county and city payrolls 20 percent and using the funds saved to add incentives to help job producers come to the area or expand here?

Perhaps its time for a voter revolution!

 

Don Sorensen 

Albert Lea