The tax man cometh

I attended the Mission City Council meeting Wednesday night. I was there for work purposes, needing to garner council support for a loan for which we're applying. I had been meaning to check out a council meeting anyway, so I hung around even when my agenda item was passed.

And am I glad I did! I certainly learned a thing or two. (Just a warning here. I found everything that follows to be absolutely fascinating. You may not.)

It all started with the sales tax. The statewide portion in South Dakota is 4 percent, and municipalities may levy up to an additional 2 percent. It gets a bit complicated here on the Rosebud. From what I've read, the state and tribes split sales taxes collected on the reservations. In the city of Mission, an additional 1.75 percent is collected, bringing the total sales tax to 5.75 percent.

So, here's what I learned: Unlike Juneau, for example, the Mission City Council has the power to increase the local portion of the sales tax through two readings of a new ordinance. If it passes both readings, it becomes effective the next time the state updates its rates (either January or July). There's no public vote.

I spoke with the city finance officer after the meeting to clarify what I had heard. I thought the system Juneau had in place worked well. Portions of Juneau's 5 percent sales tax (3 percent and 1 percent) come up for a reauthorization vote when the set collection period nears expiration. The remaining 1 percent is permanent. Residents should have a say in not only how they're taxed, but the planned use for those funds as well. It's not like that here.

So, taxes may be raised here without any public input. Don't get me wrong; some of the onus is on the residents, for sure. Sandy and I were the only non-city employees and -council members at Wednesday's meeting. Sadly, it sounds like that's the norm. Plus, the meeting minutes are published in the newspaper. Technically, there's no reason why the public shouldn't know what's happening in city government.

But part of me still thinks this is pretty sneaky. The newspaper never reports on the events of the twice-monthly council meetings (save for the minutes, which are not an adequate substitute for actual reporting). Overall media coverage on the reservation is poor. Occasionally, I'll come across an article regarding area news in the Sioux Falls and Rapid City newspapers; however, these reports are mostly on local crime, like last weekend's stabbing.

News here, instead, is spread by word of mouth (or rumor, depending on one's level of cynicism). For folks like me who are new to the area, that makes it very hard to learn the issues and become an educated voter. And the internet is not a media outlet here. Period.

I also learned there isn't much interest in serving on the council. There have been only two city elections in the last six years. I would certainly see about getting myself elected to the council if I knew I was to remain in Mission indefinitely. That's when I learned I actually live outside the city limits. Argh! Why am I just now figuring this stuff out? What else do I not know?

Which brings me back to the sales tax issue. Even if the proposed quarter-cent increase were to become a ballot measure, I'd still have no say in the matter. But I certainly make purchases within the city. So, I'm thinking about speaking as a "concerned citizen" at the next meeting. That's really all I can do.

I'm not saying I'm flat-out against the increase. I first need to know how the proceeds are to be used before deciding where I stand. And after listening to the preliminary discussions, I got the impression there wasn't anything specific in mind yet. That's not good government folks. Just because the rules say you can do something (e.g. increase the sales tax to the maximum allowed without a public vote) doesn't make it right.

I do have to watch myself though. As a VISTA, I need to remain politically neutral. I see this more as an advocacy role, however. And I need to think about my future professional dealings with the council too. At the very least, I want to get the newspaper to send a reporter over to these meetings. This is a small town; I don't think this is asking much.

I will say part of my frustration is just because I've only been here since November. I spent five and a half years in Alaska and knew a lot of the ins and outs of local and state government. With the high level of media coverage up there relative to the population, one would have to make an effort to not know what's going on.

I think it's safe to say I haven't been to my last City Council meeting. I don't have TV, so attending was practically like watching the 6:00 news. And it's participatory to boot!