I hope everyone enjoyed last week’s report. This was just a glimpse into the many misconceptions about what a Commissioner does. If I ever write my memoirs, it will have to include a chapter on some of the bizarre situations that I have experienced, including being pulled into a lover’s quarrel involving folks who happened to be next door neighbors; however, that is a story for another day!
A few items of interest that the Commission has been working on are below.
• The anticipated correction in sales tax receipts continues to take place as preliminary reports indicate that March receipts for 2018 far outpaced those of March 2017. Year-To-Date (YTD) 2018 collections are only $25,000 less than 2017. It is important to remember that sales tax collection is a marathon and not a sprint. Where we are at the END of the “race” is more important than our position throughout the “race.” Our Treasurer Brenda O’Brien does a great job keeping us up to speed on the trends in sales tax collections.
• The economic development success we experienced in 2017 appears to be continuing into 2018. Already this year the Economic Development staff has been working with a new sporting goods retail business, as well as a business working towards an expansion and a relocation into a newly constructed facility that is much larger than the current location. The relocation is particularly beneficial as it not only creates new commercial construction, but it also frees up additional space to offer to prospective businesses. On an unrelated note, the staff has been working with a group to secure a venue for a potential roller derby event in the area. I didn’t realize that the roller derby still existed, but if you are a roller derby fan we may be able to accommodate you.
• This week we are meeting with Sheriff Cottle to address his ongoing issues with attracting and retaining quality POST-certified employees. Our current wage scale is far below that of most agencies in the area, so when we do land a good officer, we soon lose them to another entity for significantly better pay. Unfortunately, the failure of our sales tax issue has caused us to spend revenues on building repairs, etc. that otherwise could have been devoted to improving our pay scale and putting additional officers on the street. Sheriff Cottle and his staff get the max out of every dollar they receive, and I can assure you we will get this situation addressed.
That’s all I have time for now. As always, call, e-mail or stop by the Courthouse if you have questions. Until next week…
Dan Colbert
Presiding Commissioner