By Mike Thayer
Here's Rod Sullivan's latest, from his blog Sullivan's Salvos.... Oh, and beware, his blog site is insecure, literally, it's not internet safe, and Rod isn't 'safe' in his facts either.
*Still Wanting His Own Facts!
I mentioned last week that a Solon-area farmer has been hitting me with a bunch of discredited right-wing talking points. Well, he won’t quit that easily.
His argument is once again that taxes in Johnson County are the highest in Iowa. No. Not even close. The Johnson County Rural levy ranks 47 out of Iowa’s 99 counties.
He points out that Johnson County property owners on average pay the highest dollar amount in taxes. That is easy to explain. Their property is worth more.
One needs to look at tax rates. He pays more in taxes than I do. Does that mean taxes in rural Solon are higher than they are in Iowa City? No. It means he owns more property. Higher property values = higher taxes. That is just common sense. The one thing we can control is the RATE. And our rate is nowhere near the highest.
It is such a load of BS that people are out there regularly spreading this type of misinformation.
The misinformation is ALL YOU Sullivan!
The guy is SUCH a lying, spinning, misinforming piece of crap! And I put his blog piece in pink because the guy is a pinko commie in the way he thinks. HE knows how to run your life better than you do.
About those taxes
Here's the truth folks, from a credible source and note that Sulivan DID NOT post a source to back his claim, that's his M.O., he makes wild claims, or states someone/something has been discredited but he provides NO proof, NO evidence, NO direct testimony.... kind of like the democrat impeachment hearings....
Johnson County collects the highest property tax in Iowa, levying an average of $2,526.00 (1.43% of median home value) yearly in property taxes, while Pocahontas County has the lowest property tax in the state, collecting an average tax of $561.00 (1% of median home value) per year.
The median property tax in Johnson County, Iowa is $2,526 per year for a home worth the median value of $177,000. Johnson County collects, on average, 1.43% of a property's assessed fair market value as property tax.
Johnson County has one of the highest median property taxes in the United States, and is ranked 272nd of the 3143 counties in order of median property taxes.
The average yearly property tax paid by Johnson County residents amounts to about 3.38% of their yearly income. Johnson County is ranked 420th of the 3143 counties for property taxes as a percentage of median income.
Source: http://www.tax-rates.org/iowa/johnson_county_property_tax
And here's a supporting source, a calculator to see just how high Johnson County taxes are, type in your zip code: https://smartasset.com/taxes/iowa-property-tax-calculator#dNpydQiBEe
And here's the dirty little trick Sullivan played, he focuses on the RURAL levy in spewing his The Johnson County Rural levy ranks 47 out of Iowa’s 99 counties statement. He manipulates that to make his BOGUS Johnson County isn't the highest taxed argument.
The TRUTH is, rural levies are only PART of the tax formula.
From the Legislative Services Agency:
B. County Levies
A county is permitted by statute to impose two primary, or basic, levies. The rural services levy is imposed only against property located in the unincorporated areas of the county and is deposited in the rural services fund to pay for those services provided primarily to the residents of the unincorporated areas of the county.3
Rod Sullivan only wrote about taxes affecting the unincorporated areas of Johnson County with his rural focus, a.k.a. misdirection, the other primary levy he INTENTIONALLY left out is the city levy. Last time I checked, Johnson County had cities in it. Never mind all the OTHER LEVIES that are assessed in Johnson County via property taxes.
The argument issued by the Solon area farmer, that Johnson County property taxes are the highest in the state is VALID.
Rod 'Pinocchio' Sullivan, a.k.a. bullshitter, continues to lie to the people he 'represents' at every given 'opportunity'.... Why re-elect a complete liar? His nose is ever-growing.
