By John Haymond

Mower County Historical Society executive director

I would guess that almost everyone reading this pays taxes. Whether everyone enjoys paying taxes is another matter altogether, but as taxpayers, it’s always good to know what our money is being used for. Here in Mower County, one of the programs which our taxes support is the Mower County Historical Society (MCHS).

The Mower County Historical Society is the only organization responsible for collecting, protecting and preserving the history of Mower County and its citizens. We are one the smaller counties in Minnesota, in terms of our population, but we have one of the most important historical societies when it comes to the scope of its mission and the size of its collection. MCHS maintains 17 separate buildings (one of which is on the National Register of Historic Places), a research and archives library, and an artifact collection of more than 15,000 historically significant items. Thousands of people visit our sites each year, and hundreds come to conduct historical research in our facilities.

Like most historical societies, MCHS is a non-profit institution, and our funding comes from four primary sources: our own fundraising activities (such as our annual Fall Harvest and Christmas in the County events); society membership dues and private donations; grants which we receive from various institutions for specific projects such as exhibits and education programs; and an annual appropriation from Mower County. For this year, 2014, our financial support from the county was $34,750. By contrast, our operating costs for the year are around $120,000. Less than a third of our annual budget is paid by the county, which is to say, by your tax dollars.

When we look around the state at all the other county historical societies that maintain a professional staff and offer year-round public services, MCHS is one of the lowest-funded in Minnesota. The current level of county support is simply not enough to meet our needs as we fulfill our responsibilities as the guardians of the county’s history. Earlier this year the historical society requested an increase of $15,000 from Mower County as part of the county’s 2015 proposed budget. The county commissioners’ finance committee denied that request.

Taxes are never a popular topic, and there is no denying the fact that if the county agrees to our request of an increase in financial support of the historical society, that increase will be paid by all of us, the taxpayers. But some things are worth paying for, especially when such a little amount can go a very long way and accomplish a great deal. If $15,000 seems like a lot, let me break that number down to what it actually means in terms of public funds. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 estimate, Mower County has a population of about 26,782 people who are aged 18 or older — this is the demographic that forms the majority of the tax-paying community. Let’s assume that only two-thirds of those people actually pay taxes, which leaves 17,854 taxpayers to share the cost. Based on that number, an increase of $15,000 to support the Historical Society in next year’s county budget would cost each those taxpayer about $.84. Eighty-four cents from each person, just once for the entire year …

Every dollar counts, especially when it’s your money, and so you should know what the historical society plans to do with the money if we get it. First and foremost, we would raise the salaries of our staff by a small amount. MCHS is fortunate to have a both a director and a curator who hold the appropriate professional qualifications for those positions, as well as a Research & Archives Manager with years of experience. And yet MCHS has one of the lowest-paid staffs in Minnesota when compared with similar institutions that offer full-time services. How low are they paid? Well, by way of example, one of our staff, who holds a master’s degree, is paid only $8.50 an hour, without benefits. The rest of the increase we would apply the rest toward our utility costs, keeping the lights turned on and the heat working through the winter, as well as to our community outreach programs and technology upgrades.

In a few weeks, on Dec. 11, the county commissioners will hold their Truth in Taxation meeting preparatory to final approval of the 2015 county budget. The Mower County Historical Society will be there to make a last appeal for this requested increase of $15,000 in appropriations. If you think the historical society is something worth keeping and worth paying for, please contact your county commissioners and let them know that you support our request.

Finally, please remember that the Mower County Historical Society is the repository and the guardian of your history. Everyone in this county, whether newcomers like myself or people whose families have been here for generations, have a stake in what the historical society is charged with doing: preserving today for tomorrow’s history. We can do a lot with a little, but we need your help to get that little bit.