Truck license fees draws debate
By Russ Oechslin, Journal correspondent | Posted: Sunday, February 24, 2008
SPENCER, Iowa -- Dickens farmer Steve Clark admits he's an aberration. He wants to see license fees raised on pick-up trucks which have traditionally been favored with lower registration fees than cars in Iowa.
"When I grew on the farm here in Clay County," he explained at Spencer's Eggs & Issues legislative forum Saturday morning, "if a farmer drove a pick-up he only drove it two or three thousand miles a year because they were uncomfortable. They were miserable to ride in. Nobody wanted to be in a pick-up. You used 'em for work.
"How many people do you see driving pick-ups as their good vehicle -- even a lot of people do it who aren't farmers?
"If they raise my taxes on my licenses and they make it the same as a car, I'm going to legitimately deduct my farm pick-up as an expense. So it won't cost me any more. It will put more money in the state (treasury). I'll pay it up front. It'll come off my taxes."
Clark said his position is simple. "I'm really far away from Farm Bureau, and the corn growers and soybean people because it's a giveaway program. And I don't like giveaway programs."
Sen. Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, was first to respond when Clark confronted the four Northwest Iowa politicians present at Saturday's session. Kibbie explained that he supported the Department of Transportation's "Time 21" plan. But, he added, "I don't know if we'll get that far."
Time 21, Kibbie said, includes the gas tax, a change in pick-up fees and an increase in some registration fees "to get us up to over $200 million a year for the next 10 years."
Ocheyedan Sen. David Johnson pointed out that while "The fairest way to generate revenues would be to increase the fuel tax, because otherwise the entire burden is borne by the people of Iowa, and it's not shared by the people who are on the roads," he would vote for increased pick-up registrations fees.
"It's a reasonable approach. It's a phase-in. Your pick-up will be grandfathered. My 1986 F-150 that's got 280,000 miles on it, I'll pay $35 a year for the rest of my life -- or its life -- on that thing.
"It just doesn't make any sense that your huge SUVs are registered at $400. And a brand-new shiny pick-up -- a $40,000 pick-up -- is at $65."
Like Johnson, Emmetsburg Rep. Marcie Frevert said she also favored a fuel tax, as one-third of those paying fuel taxes are not Iowa residents.
But Rep. Mike May, who serves on the Transportation Committee in the House, pointed out that "The problem with this is that initially we don't generate a lot of revenue by doing this. It takes a while to ramp up, to give us significant dollars.
"The key component, as all three have said, it the fuel tax. If we want better roads, we pay for it. And everybody should pay for it. Who better than the user," Johnson added.
Anti-smoking bill
The anti-smoking bill passed by the House was an issue for Okoboji restaurant owner Jerry Kurth, who explained that his restaurant, The Wharf, is "probably about 70 percent smoke-free" and that with 18 full-time employees this winter, 16 are smokers, who "are not going to quit smoking. I'm going to have to put up a snow fence up behind my back door to keep my employees on the job. They're just going to find a job outside where they can smoke. I've got a huge vested interest in these people, in training and trying to keep them working together as a team.
"When they smoke inside my restaurant, they smoke over a hood that would take your toupee off. They ain't bothering any customer. And it's out of sight of every customer."
Kurth also complained to the lawmakers that he believes his smoking customers "are not going to quit smoking. They're just going to quit coming in to where I collect sales tax and revenue for my business."
He said he sees a trend toward smoke-free restaurants in Okoboji. "But if I chose not to go smoke-free, it's my decision to keep it clean in this area and allow people to enjoy themselves in this area, without a complaint."
Kurth also questioned enforcement where he could be fined for someone smoking within 10 feet of his front door or window. Dickinson County, he explained, "has this huge problem. There must be a magical bridge people go through going in to the Iowa Great Lakes area that says 'I'm on vacation. And what state law is like in Des Moines and Sioux City and everywhere else, doesn't apply in Dickinson County.'"
"'We can walk around with liquor on the street, 'cause we're on vacation.'
"I mean we have a big enough problem telling people 'Yeah, you're on vacation. But we're working. This is our town. Respect it.'
"That's what I'm telling non-smokers. 'Respect the smoker's rights.' And I always tell the smokers 'Respect their rights.'''
When none of the legislators was quick to respond to Kurth, Kibbie finally noted that he sees similar situations in small towns where one restaurant may be the information center and gathering place. Nebraska just legislated a statewide ban, he said, but then allowed a reverse referendum to allow local communities to vote themselves smoking privileges.
"I would have done that on liquor-by-the-drink," Kibbie added, predicting that there will be some form of smoking ban passed by the legislature this year.
Johnson cited another "serious aspec," to the proposed ban, dealing with those in substance abuse treatment, where addressing the worst of the addictions, usually drugs or alcohol, comes first. "And you don't want them to quit smoking. That may come down the road. I don't even know what you even do with that issue. Not a lot of people talk about it because we don't talk enough about how we are going to bolster our mental health delivery system."
The next Eggs & Issues session in Spencer will be March 29, beginning at 9 a.m., in the city council chambers.
"When I grew on the farm here in Clay County," he explained at Spencer's Eggs & Issues legislative forum Saturday morning, "if a farmer drove a pick-up he only drove it two or three thousand miles a year because they were uncomfortable. They were miserable to ride in. Nobody wanted to be in a pick-up. You used 'em for work.
"How many people do you see driving pick-ups as their good vehicle -- even a lot of people do it who aren't farmers?
"If they raise my taxes on my licenses and they make it the same as a car, I'm going to legitimately deduct my farm pick-up as an expense. So it won't cost me any more. It will put more money in the state (treasury). I'll pay it up front. It'll come off my taxes."
Clark said his position is simple. "I'm really far away from Farm Bureau, and the corn growers and soybean people because it's a giveaway program. And I don't like giveaway programs."
Sen. Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, was first to respond when Clark confronted the four Northwest Iowa politicians present at Saturday's session. Kibbie explained that he supported the Department of Transportation's "Time 21" plan. But, he added, "I don't know if we'll get that far."
Time 21, Kibbie said, includes the gas tax, a change in pick-up fees and an increase in some registration fees "to get us up to over $200 million a year for the next 10 years."
Ocheyedan Sen. David Johnson pointed out that while "The fairest way to generate revenues would be to increase the fuel tax, because otherwise the entire burden is borne by the people of Iowa, and it's not shared by the people who are on the roads," he would vote for increased pick-up registrations fees.
"It's a reasonable approach. It's a phase-in. Your pick-up will be grandfathered. My 1986 F-150 that's got 280,000 miles on it, I'll pay $35 a year for the rest of my life -- or its life -- on that thing.
"It just doesn't make any sense that your huge SUVs are registered at $400. And a brand-new shiny pick-up -- a $40,000 pick-up -- is at $65."
Like Johnson, Emmetsburg Rep. Marcie Frevert said she also favored a fuel tax, as one-third of those paying fuel taxes are not Iowa residents.
But Rep. Mike May, who serves on the Transportation Committee in the House, pointed out that "The problem with this is that initially we don't generate a lot of revenue by doing this. It takes a while to ramp up, to give us significant dollars.
"The key component, as all three have said, it the fuel tax. If we want better roads, we pay for it. And everybody should pay for it. Who better than the user," Johnson added.
Anti-smoking bill
The anti-smoking bill passed by the House was an issue for Okoboji restaurant owner Jerry Kurth, who explained that his restaurant, The Wharf, is "probably about 70 percent smoke-free" and that with 18 full-time employees this winter, 16 are smokers, who "are not going to quit smoking. I'm going to have to put up a snow fence up behind my back door to keep my employees on the job. They're just going to find a job outside where they can smoke. I've got a huge vested interest in these people, in training and trying to keep them working together as a team.
"When they smoke inside my restaurant, they smoke over a hood that would take your toupee off. They ain't bothering any customer. And it's out of sight of every customer."
Kurth also complained to the lawmakers that he believes his smoking customers "are not going to quit smoking. They're just going to quit coming in to where I collect sales tax and revenue for my business."
He said he sees a trend toward smoke-free restaurants in Okoboji. "But if I chose not to go smoke-free, it's my decision to keep it clean in this area and allow people to enjoy themselves in this area, without a complaint."
Kurth also questioned enforcement where he could be fined for someone smoking within 10 feet of his front door or window. Dickinson County, he explained, "has this huge problem. There must be a magical bridge people go through going in to the Iowa Great Lakes area that says 'I'm on vacation. And what state law is like in Des Moines and Sioux City and everywhere else, doesn't apply in Dickinson County.'"
"'We can walk around with liquor on the street, 'cause we're on vacation.'
"I mean we have a big enough problem telling people 'Yeah, you're on vacation. But we're working. This is our town. Respect it.'
"That's what I'm telling non-smokers. 'Respect the smoker's rights.' And I always tell the smokers 'Respect their rights.'''
When none of the legislators was quick to respond to Kurth, Kibbie finally noted that he sees similar situations in small towns where one restaurant may be the information center and gathering place. Nebraska just legislated a statewide ban, he said, but then allowed a reverse referendum to allow local communities to vote themselves smoking privileges.
"I would have done that on liquor-by-the-drink," Kibbie added, predicting that there will be some form of smoking ban passed by the legislature this year.
Johnson cited another "serious aspec," to the proposed ban, dealing with those in substance abuse treatment, where addressing the worst of the addictions, usually drugs or alcohol, comes first. "And you don't want them to quit smoking. That may come down the road. I don't even know what you even do with that issue. Not a lot of people talk about it because we don't talk enough about how we are going to bolster our mental health delivery system."
The next Eggs & Issues session in Spencer will be March 29, beginning at 9 a.m., in the city council chambers.
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n wrote on Feb 24, 2008 8:56 PM:
PEH wrote on Feb 24, 2008 12:20 PM:
To Mr. Kurth wrote on Feb 24, 2008 11:33 AM: