Harris Right to Force Sales Tax Decision

Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris has been taking quite the bashing in the Oshkosh Northwestern lately, with his proposal to raise the sales tax getting him labeled as "missing in action" and "the ultimate one-term Winnebago County Executive." The editorialists are upset that Harris will submit only one budget to the county board this year--a budget that includes the sales tax increase. If the board does not want the tax increase, they will have to find the cuts necessary to balance the budget.

I have mixed feelings on the sales tax, but I think Harris deserves much credit for the approach he is taking. The editorialists are confusing the job of an elected county executive like Harris with a hired city manager like Oshkosh's Dick Wollangk. The latter, being a hired hand, can submit a dozen budgets if the Common Council requests that he do so. If he refuses to do it, they can fire him.

The elected county executive, by contrast, is a politician charged with submitting a balanced budget. Whereas the city manager serves the common council that hired him, the county executive serves the people who elected him. Harris has calculated that the best way to serve the people of the county is to raise the sales tax. Maybe it's a bad idea, maybe not--but at least Harris is willing to take the political heat from the chamber of commerce and their point men on the Northwestern editorial board.

More important, in presenting the board with just the sales tax budget, Harris is forcing them to make a decision on the sales tax. We have had too many years of smoke and mirrors budgeting, putting off difficult decisions, and grandstanding about making cuts that never materialize. Harris is essentially telling the county board to "put up or shut up." He has demononstrated a willingnes to take heat for making a difficult policy decision--let's see if they are willing to do the same.

Listen to Harris talk about the sales tax budget on Radio Commentary.