Resident objects to Madison County budget, cites recent tax hikes and auditor bonus

Terry Kaczynski, a resident who gave his address as 1437 Heritage Avenue in Earlham, delivered a public comment objecting to Madison County’s proposed budget and a planned 5.8% increase in the county government portion of property taxes. "I'm here today to formally object to our county property taxes in this current county budget," he said.

Kaczynski said the county raised its portion of property taxes by "over a 17% increase" last year and that the current proposal adds "another 5.8% increase," a total he summarized as "almost 25% more out of our pockets in just the last 2 years." He added that previous public protests over the increase had "fallen on deaf ears."

He urged officials to remove several items from the budget, naming a $100,000 purchase for "new goading equipment" that he described as built to "30 year old standards" with "obsolete software" and therefore "unjustifiable." He also objected to further pay increases for nonunion employees, saying those workers "already received substantial raises last year" and are at average pay for comparable counties.

Kaczynski specifically challenged a $5,000 auditor bonus included in the budget, saying, "The inclusion of a $5,000 auditor bonus is illegal under Iowa code 3 3 1 9 0 7 and must be removed." He told officials that elected-official salaries and compensation should be set by the compensation board and said that board did not recommend the bonus. He added that taxpayers also paid the bonus in last year’s budget.

To support his claims, Kaczynski said he will submit a formal written objection along with copies of supporting documents, including "page 87 from the Decatur County 2021 audit by the state auditor's office" and a "2022 Floyd County budget appeal found by the state appeal board." He closed by urging officials to "represent us, not to empty our wallets" and asked the body to work to "alleviate the burdens imposed by this budget."

No formal response from county officials is recorded in the transcript. The comment will be part of the public record for the county’s budget process pending any written objection or evidence Kaczynski files.