South DSM News

Marion County lobbyist Kelly Verwers Meyers advocates for tax reform, economic growth and mental health in the state legislature, according to The Oskaloosa Herald.

Supervisor Chair Mark Raymie said Meyers was chosen because Marion County needs stronger representation in the state legislature.

“The goal of the lobbyist is of course to provide a little more attention on those issues that specifically pertain to our county,” Raymie said. “Whether it’s funding, state mandates, those types of things, we need someone to give attention to those issues that larger counties have separate lobbyists do for them. We tend to get pushed off to the side a little bit while these larger counties get their way with anything they want.”

Raymie said that as a result of increased complaints from residents about the new hike in property taxes this year, the county needs both income and property tax reform.

He said that Iowa should lower taxes to boost economic growth throughout the state and county, citing that having no state income tax is one of the reasons for South Dakota's explosive 22% increase in population. He also explained that boosting revenue through economic growth would increase state funding for roads, bridges and public health.

Finally, Raymie identified mental health as a point of focus for the state legislature. He explained that state mandate requires approximately $1 million from county taxpayers to fund mental health services in other counties across the state.

“We are not being well-served by the way that law is structured, particularly as it pertains to access, but there’s more to it than just access,” Raymie said. “So we need some attention to this. This needs to be changed. We need a bigger bang for our buck for our taxpayers. It’s really that simple.”