In ten years, the population of Scott County has gone from 170,206 to 173,924, a 2.2% increase. The FY23/24 budget grew to $108,938,195.00 from $78,205,265.00 in 2013, a 39.3% increase.
Take a closer look at the candidates. At times it’s necessary to look at the negatives in order to change direction.
In ten years, the population of Scott County has gone from 170,206 to 173,924, a 2.2% increase. The FY23/24 budget grew to $108,938,195.00 from $78,205,265.00 in 2013, a 39.3% increase. County employee numbers for the same period grew 12.4%. I don’t want people to lose sight of the fact that Federal grant dollars ARE funded by us. Ask our children and grandchildren when they have to pay for our generation’s wasteful spending. ARPA dollars, debt service, all flow in and out of the county. Ten year appropriations went from $71,562,812.00 in FY15 to $123,095,760 .00 in FY23, a $51,689,948.00 increase. (Source: Scott County Annual Comprehensive Financial Report 2023) It’s time for tighter control of spending and electing individuals that will best represent us.
I will be casting my vote for Jennifer McAndrew Lane and Thomas Nelson in the June 4th Primary.
Scott County was in the spotlight following the November 2022 general election when the Secretary of State’s office alerted our election commission of a discrepancy in the number of absentee ballots that were reported on election night requiring multiple administrative recounts, and resulting in an official demand for documents issued to the State Commissioner. The state’s competitive bidding code was not followed when failure to publish required the project to be rebid. Four vendors bid the project in November of 2023, and Tenex won the contract. The three bidders not selected took the rebid opportunity to sharpen their pencils and come in with a lower price, with the Tenex bid remaining the same. It was unfortunate for the Supervisors that were asked to again give their approval following the rebid, as the auditor made no mention of the three bidders dropping their price and told the Supervisors, “Everything is the same”. A promise to “follow the law” has fallen short.
I will be voting for Mark Nelson for Auditor on June 4th.
Some may recall my term on the Board of Supervisors when my goal was to control spending, protect our rights and always be direct, so you know that I do not take an endorsement lightly. Use the power of the ballot box, and vote for Tom, Jenn and Mark.
Diane Holst
Former Scott County, Iowa Supervisor
Eldridge, Iowa
Author
Anonymous (not verified)
