Letter to the Editor: Commitment to the majority

To the Editor:
Allamakee County is a special place in Iowa.  Among the strong attributes we can be proud of is our large agricultural industry, our small town businesses and factories, our hometown friendly citizens and, obviously, the diverse array of natural wonders. Mother Nature has been exceptionally good to us up here in this corner of our state.
The sad truth is that we sometimes tend to be unappreciative of, or even aware of, what we have right here in our own back yard. That same scenario can be said of a multitude of people throughout our country.
About 27 years ago Allamakee County became the last of 99 Iowa counties to establish a County Conservation Board. Basically, the purpose of this conservation board was, and is, to acquire, develop, maintain and make available to the inhabitants of the county public recreational assets, outdoor educational and conservation opportunities; to encourage the responsible and orderly development and conservation of our natural resources while cultivating good citizenship.
An afternoon tour of all 21 of our county-managed roadside parks and accesses shows how successful the Conservation Board has been in its endeavors. Many of these properties have been made possible by personal dedication and the donations of responsible citizens. All of us have access to these sites and many of us do use some of them at our leisure and without usage fees.
Property tax dollars provide the bulk of the support needed to maintain them.  The costs seem relatively affordable. These accesses and small parks are appreciated and they serve us well.
Now to some more recent plans and developments within the realm of our Conservation Board. For the past decade or so, it has been a goal of the Conservation Board to dream, design, plan, fund, build and operate a “nature center” within the county. This board has slowly and methodically moved forward to accomplish this goal. Review of board minutes and conversations with persons involved with the task reveal that the dream has progressed, the design and plans have been drawn and funding has been sought out.
Already, $100,000 of our tax dollars have been given as support. Right now our Board of Supervisors is considering diverting $158,000 of our new gas tax dollars to road and parking lot improvements at the site. Much of the $3.6 million cost to build the Center has not been secured or even pledged (contrary to what spreadsheets presented to us seem to indicate). The task of raising funds is still a work in progress.
The immediate situation stands that construction has already begun; begun with the approval of our Board of Supervisors; begun and “guaranteed” that, if grants and voluntarily given donations are not secured, the county property tax payers will assume payment of the bill. This bill could reach nearly $1,000,000.
In addition to the total costs of construction, the county taxpayers will be on the hook for the perpetual operational costs, salaries of potential new employees and upkeep of the new Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center in Lansing.
At what point do the taxpayer-supported costs of this building outweigh the potential benefits to our county’s residents? Two obvious arguments might be that there is unique educational value to be presented here, and there is always the “tourism” factor. Both have some degree of merit but, again, who should fund it and to what level?
There are no plans to charge any admission fees and “thousands” of annual visitors are expected. Many more people is optimistic and great but more usage will produce even more overhead.
The facts are pretty clear.  It will be built. As it stands today, grants and private donations may not cover a substantial portion of construction costs. We will be forced, through taxation or “temporary loans,” to subsidize these fundraising shortfalls for construction. In addition to this, Allamakee County taxpayers will be taxed, annually and forever, to operate and support this Center.
At what point should the citizens of Allamakee County demand and expect that the Conservation Board’s checkbook be monitored and managed by our Board of Supervisors? The Conservation Board’s net operational costs to taxpayers increases by tens of thousands of dollars each year. Wouldn’t it be nice if government and taxes would stop growing for once? Maybe right here in our own back yard would be a responsible place for our elected officials to demonstrate  commitment to the majority rather than their own personal legacy goals.
Gene Averhoff
Dorchester