Hello faithful readers! Today is Wednesday, August 23, 2023, and here are the topics for my commentary:
- GF Public Safety Levy
- TikTok & Montana
- GOP Presidential Debate
- One More Thing
GF PUBLIC SAFETY LEVY:
I heard through social media that almost all of the candidates for Great Falls mayor and city commission support the Public Safety and Bond Levies that will be on the ballot in November.
That news was disappointing to me. I will be voting against both.
I would have hoped that most candidates would have sided with the taxpayers and said they were against the two levies. Great Falls needs to elect people who don’t think we need to raise taxes and fees every time there’s a full moon.
I was recently asked to be interviewed by one of the local television stations because I am against the Public Safety and Bond levies. I declined. I have a face for Blogging, not for television.
I’m seeing some of the taxpayer money that the city used to hire an outside business to promote the Public Safety Levy being used on social media. I was against the city using my money to promote the levy.
I’ve also heard the talking point that Great Falls has never passed a public safety levy – but after 50 years without supplemental funding, the City’s public safety departments (police, fire, legal, and court) and the Great Falls community are suffering the effects.
It’s not like these city departments have not seen an increase in funding in the past 50 years. It’s not the citizens’ fault that the city leaders in the past 50 years have not passed a public safety levy. The amount they want to pass now is ridiculously high and too much of a burden on most taxpayers. Our taxes seem to go up in Great Falls every time the city commission meets. With the levies needing our vote, we can put a stop to it and maybe the city leaders will decide to live within their means.
Finally, just because people, like me, are against the Public Safety and Bond levies that position in no way signifies that we are anti-police or anti-Great Falls. Don’t let the proponents of this massive tax increase make you feel that way for voting No.
TIKTOK & MONTANA:
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is getting his 15 minutes of fame courtesy of TikTok. I think he is embarrassing Montana.
I’ve seen stories about Knudsen and TikTok in the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, local news, and on some tech websites. They are reporting that Knudsen wants a federal judge to keep the state’s TikTok ban in effect while lawsuits against it proceed in federal court.
I have been on TikTok (@BigSky1959) for over two years, and I really enjoy it. I wish Knudsen would fight crime and leave TikTok alone.
GOP PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE:
In case you forgot, the first GOP Presidential Debate takes place tonight. Former President Donald Trump has indicated he will not participate.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the two-hour debate will start at 9 p.m. ET (7 p.m. Mountain). It’s being moderated by Fox News Channel hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. The first forum is airing exclusively on Fox News and the Fox Business Network as well as on Fox’s website and other streaming and digital platforms.
Those expected to be on the stage, according to the AP, are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
Out of these eight, who is your favorite?
ONE MORE THING:
Some of you are too busy being Republican or Democrat to notice you stopped being decent a long time ago. – iFunny
The Western Word 
I participated in the city health plan for a number of years, a portion of my check each payday went towards that plan. That wasn’t true with the salaried people, theirs was free. When contract was up a portion of each raise would go toward health benefits. The director liked to point out he’d get the identical raise but forget to mention it came without the healthcare deduction. The unions plan was better but the city didn’t want it since no free benefit for big wigs.
I really enjoy the comments, I learn a lot I wouldn’t otherwise. Thanks
Re: Levy
The State law that limits (local and county) governmental entities to last year’s budget plus just 1/2 of the rate of inflation does have a cumulative effect. Every year you’re squeezing the budget down by half of inflation. Go 10 whatever years in a row not even keeping up with the cost of living and after awhile you’re 20% or whatever below breakeven revenue from where you started.
Even if the value of real estate has grown to keep up the State prevents the local entities from realizing the full value of their existing levies. So the only choice to try and keep up is to ask for new levies. Top down micro-management works so well in communist nations that the Montana legislature sees fit to do the same. Maybe the idea is that if local governments are going to increase their spending they have to occasionally ask the local taxpayers. A rule which of course does not apply to our oh-so-wise State legislators.
All that said, this allegedly $10.7 million (but really $13.6 million thanks to higher taxable value) ask of the local GF taxpayers is probably too big right now. People are already scared to death what they will see on their existing tax bills much less adding 103.75 mills for the following year.
https://www.kpax.com/news/missoula-county/missoula-city-council-approves-9-7-tax-increase
I was wondering about this tax increase. I thought MT cities had a limit as to allowable increases. Formula was inflation plus some amount? I’ve not heard what GF is proposing as a tax increase in addition to levies. Maybe I’ve not paid enough attention.
Maybe this tax increase is what you are thinking about:
https://www.krtv.com/news/great-falls-news/great-falls-city-commission-approves-budget
Order of preference
Ron
Vivek
Nikki
Chris
Mike
Asa
Doug
List chosen with not too much thought.
Thanks. I like Chris, Nikki, and Asa. Probably none will be the nominee.
“I’m opposed to any tax increases unless we see real, sustained growth. The key to funding our city is growth, rising incomes and an expanding tax base. We cannot continue on the current path of putting the tax burden on homeowners , many of whom live on a fixed income, and small businesses.”
Guess who said this in an Electric interview while a candidate?
Tryon?
Yep, so in the short time he’s been commissioner things must have really changed. Or he has.
Bill –
The KRTV story Jackie posted above has a line that says it all about Tryon:
“During the meeting, Commissioner Tryon said, ‘When you have to dig into the numbers and do the work involved, it’s not quite so easy.'”
Pretty much an admission that he was nothing more than an uninformed blithering idiot back in his militantly anti-tax Internet/media squawking head and perennial candidate for multiple offices before he finally found one he could win days. Or else he was lying as a candidate.
Not to mention he’s now part of the in-crowd at the City, going to all the parties with City department heads and other commissioners and buddying up, hobnobbing with the movers and shakers of Great Falls, swapping casual comments about family members on the commission dais, and probably participating in that “Cadillac city health plan”. So now that’s his family and yes he’s a big proponent of all that City government spending he used to blast when he was on the outside looking in. He’s been totally co-opted by the system he used to excoriate.
But rest assured, the spending of other government entities about which he knows nothing and has never dug into the numbers and done the work – that’s still all wasteful and excessive. In that regard he’s still the same old Rick.
Great points. Thank you! -JmB