The News Tribune's "investigation" of St. Louis County commissioners' travel expenses obscured the bigger picture ("They travel on our dime, with little oversight," Sept. 19). The bigger picture is the control of property taxes.
Since 1997, my county portion has increased only by $167.41, from $1,048.53 to $1,215.94 in 2010. In the meantime, my taxable market value increased from $113,600 to $224,600. The one component that increased the most over that time period,
percentage-wise, was my Gnesen Township taxes. The Gnesen increase was due to building a new fire hall and paving several roads. Gnesen has paid off half the fire hall loan and paid off the paving jobs.
I think the county should be commended for its performance in getting out of the nursing home business and other activities not central to its primary functions. Many counties around the country are up to their fannies in debt. St. Louis County has done an excellent job, in my opinion. The fiscal conservatives among the commissioners -- Dennis Fink, Keith Nelson, Steve Raukar, Chris Dahlberg and Mike Forsman -- were key in holding the tax line steady.
John Lukan
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