New Washington County commissioner frowns on tax increases, spending

The tight-fisted majority on the Washington County board has gained an ally in new commissioner Autumn Lehrke, who opposes tax increases as a matter of principle.

"Times are tough. We all take hits at home," said Lehrke, who defeated 17-year commissioner Myra Peterson in the race to represent about 45,000 residents in the southern portion of the county.

Lehrke also opposes a quarter-cent sales tax enacted in 2008 to pay for public transit development in the metro area. Commissioners in Washington County voted 3-2 to impose the tax after a blustery public hearing in Stillwater.

"It doesn't make sense for 100 percent of the residents to pay for a service that 2 percent of the residents would use," she said recently. Lehrke wants to review the tax and possibly repeal it, and she said many of her constituents feel the same way.

"Elections have consequences," said county board chair Bill Pulkrabek, who welcomes a review of the sales tax. Having Lehrke on board, he said, could mean enough votes to end the tax.

The tax funds a metro pool of transit development money that's managed by the Counties Improvement Transit Board. Washington County spent its initial portions on helping to start Rush Line commuter bus service from Forest Lake to St. Paul and investing in a study of possible public transit along the Interstate 94 corridor past Oakdale, Woodbury and Lake Elmo.

Peterson has championed public transportation in the east metro. She chairs the Red Rock Corridor Task Force, which oversees the proposed bus and rail route from St. Paul southeast through Cottage Grove and Hastings, and the Washington County Regional Rail Authority. She also is a member of the Minnesota High-Speed Rail Commission executive committee.

"Has she looked at the need to get people to work?" Peterson said. "It's an environmental issue, it's a jobs issue, it's preparing us to grow."

Pulkrabek and Lehrke say they don't oppose transit but want a fresh look at the county's involvement in various projects. Pulkrabek prefers that roads and bridges come first, and Lehrke questions Red Rock's costs and benefits.

Lehrke has never held public office. She unseated Peterson after knocking on 8,000 doors and putting distinctive pink lawn signs all over the district.

At 29, Lehrke will notably reduce the average age on the board. Her presence also will raise the average height by a fair amount -- she played basketball in school, she said, before academics consumed her.

"Some people were just ready for a change," said Lehrke, whose husband Derrick was elected to the Cottage Grove City Council in the same election. "I think it had something to do with the anti-incumbent atmosphere out there."

"She's very sharp," Pulkrabek said of Lehrke. "She listens, she's personable, she's going to do a great job. I look forward to working with her."

Lehrke joins a county board, notably conservative in its money management, that in September voted 4-1 for no increase in next year's property tax levy despite the prospect of further "unallotments" in state aid to counties.

Peterson voted with Pulkrabek, Lisa Weik and Gary Kriesel to set the preliminary levy at zero percent, which means commissioners now can't seek additional revenue through taxation. Dennis Hegberg was the only commissioner who opposed setting the tax three months before the final levy. He told his fellow commissioners that he agreed with restraining property taxes but asked what would happen if the state reneges on millions of dollars promised for 2011.

If Washington County loses state revenue that was to pay for mandated expenses -- most of them in social services programs -- commissioners will have to find savings elsewhere.

Lehrke said she's ready to take a red pencil to spending. But she also wants to reinstate county funding for 4-H, the youth development program, and acknowledges that funding choices don't come easy.

Lehrke, the youngest of five children, grew up in the small Dakota County town of Randolph. She began attending college when she was 16, and on Dec. 18 will receive her second master's degree -- this one in management with a concentration in organizational leadership.

Her master's thesis addresses the prospect of gaining elective office by "nonpolitical" means. That proved a relevant choice, she said, after her church pastor in a sermon threw out a challenge for public service.

"Totally scary" is how Lehrke describes joining the county board. "This is something I've never done. I feel new ideas or new approaches are going to give us continuous improvement."

The office of county commissioner is a nonpartisan one. Lehrke's connections to the Republican Party -- including a photo taken with gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer -- didn't escape notice with some voters who asked in Internet posts if the party will call the shots when she takes office.

"I'm going to the job as a manager and a leader," Lehrke said. "I'm nonpartisan. I'm going to vote for what the public wants, rather than the Republican Party."

She said she doesn't underestimate the complexities of being a county commissioner. Some of her views could change, she said, once she gets into the job.

"I can't wait to get to work," she said. "I'm excited to get started."