CALL TO ACTION - OPPOSE HSB165
CALL TO ACTION - PLEASE CALL YOUR LOCAL HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE MEMBER TODAY TO OPPOSE HSB165. GET OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR DEPARTMENT AND PEOPLE YOU KNOW TO DO THE SAME!
ISPA OPPOSES this bill because it is a back door approach to crippling the cities’ ability to fund IPERS and MFPRSI PENSIONS.
Currently in the State Legislature some elected officials are trying to reduce the city's ability to pay public employees and fund their pension systems. They are doing this by trying to push through a bill (Follow link HSB165) that is so complicated that few can even understand it.
They are doing it because a few special interest groups some from outside of Iowa want to continue their attack on public employees and drive down wages for all workers. On top of that they are trying to push the funding of pensions into the 8.10 levy which pays for employees’ wages and government projects, so they can try to bankrupt the pension systems.
This is an obvious "backdoor" approach to crippling IPERS and MFPRSI, by eliminating the cities ability to fund these pension systems. This is after they repeatedly told us during last year’s election season they would not touch public employee pensions.
We elect our Local government officials, be it a municipality, a county or local school district, to make our local decisions, not someone in Des Moines. Our local officials should be trusted to make decisions that best serve those constituents. The State placing restrictions on these local elected officials ability to decide the funding mechanism and limiting their ability to appropriate fund issues that affect their community goes against the principle of Home Rule.
This philosophy would not work in the private sector. Would we allow or want Big Government to limit when a private sector business could raise and lower its prices for services, or say a private sector business could only grow their business by 2% annually. There would be an outrage about government limiting open markets. Open markets and local control are foundations of a capitalistic society.
HSB 165 bill proposes to do just that. Its intent is to limit the ability of a local elected council, board or other elected officials, to make decisions that best address economic issues in their communities. It does this by proposing to limit local budget growth to 2% per year, regardless of the economic situation of the respective community.
They know that Iowans have strongly supported Public Employees and their pension systems so they are trying to mask it in another bill. They are doing this with everyone including the Cities saying it will destroy the system and our ability to pay personnel and get stuff done.
HSB 165 has three groups that are for it according to lobbyist declarations. There are roughly a 100 or more against or undecided. So you tell me who are the legislators working for and listening to?
For the record the three groups in support of the bill are:
Americans for Prosperity (Koch brothers)
Iowans for Tax Relief (David Stanley)
National Federation of Independent Business
It is time that Iowans wake up and figure out what is really going on. People need to know that public employees aren't your enemy. They are the ones who teach your kids and come when you're in need. They plow your streets, pick-up your trash, mow and maintain your parks and keep you safe. They want to make our communities a better and safer place to live, work and call home.
Please contact your local legislators and tell them not to support HOUSE Study Bill 165 in any form. To find out your two Legislators (Senator and Representative) Go to: “FIND YOUR LEGISLATOR” at https://www.legis.iowa.gov/
You can call them at the legislature this week: call the House Switchboard at: 515-281-3221. She will write down your message and be sure and give your NAME, PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS and ask them to VOTE AGAINST HSB165, the property tax bill because it hurts cities’ abilities to pay police pensions.
