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County budget mailer drew 60 calls; auditors review costs as lawmakers consider change
Summary
An informational mailer under state law cost Linn County $55,600 to produce (excluding staff time) and generated roughly 60 calls to county offices; Senator Dawson is reported considering simplifying or eliminating the mailer at the state level.
Todd (as identified by the board) told the Linn County Board on April 1 that a recently mailed budget statement prompted about 60 phone calls to county staff, ranging from opinions and questions to complaints. He said the county's final cost for the mailer was $55,600 after staff reduced printing and addressing expenses from an initial estimate of about $58,000; that figure does not include auditor staff time.
Todd said his office is tracking legislative discussion about the mailer: Senator Dawson provided an update indicating the Legislature is considering simplifying or eliminating that required mailer. He added the county is following state law for now but would welcome any change that reduces confusion; he noted some confusion had come from hypothetical examples on the mailer that residents misinterpreted as actual tax increases.
Todd also walked the board through internal budget-certification timelines: cities, counties and school budgets are due April 30, and a team of staff are performing initial and secondary reviews in preparation for spring budget amendments.
No vote or formal action was taken; Todd said the county will monitor any state action and continue to field public questions.
