Does this sound familiar? It may not sound familiar if you don’t live near Indian Country. I live in Tama County, Iowa. Tama County is home to the only federally recognized tribe in Iowa. I have heard this statement or something like it many times since I have lived in Tama County.

What makes this statement more troublesome is that it provokes a mentality that divides; us vs. them. I have had many conversations and been in rooms where this common phrase is used, and a thinly veiled justification for division with Meskwaki Nation. I have been told that I do not understand because I was not raised here. This is a true statement; I was not raised here, and I do not understand the division.

I was born and raised on the outskirts of Des Moines, Iowa between Pleasant Hill and Altoona. We were not recognized as the hub of diversity in my neighborhood. I was raised in poverty, and we were mostly surrounded by blue-collar families. There was very little diversity when it came to race, national origin, etc. Our most noticeable differences were those who made a bit more money and could afford fancy stuff; like Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and Mt. Dew instead of generic.

I give you my background because I come to this discussion with the admission that I am not an authority by my upbringing on diversity. However, the older I get (and I have a birthday coming up where I will turn a big number that ends in a zero), I have sought to understand and have unity with people that don’t look and talk like me. My only agenda here with this discussion is to promote unity. As a matter of fact, I have been quoted and penned a slogan that has stuck, “UNITY in the CommUNITY.”

I must make a disclaimer from the outset. I am a Tama County Supervisor but speak from a personal perspective. Having said that, I have not been shy about my quest to promote unity and call people out who work against those efforts, in my role as a supervisor or privately.

Since taking office, I was elected by my peers on the Board of Supervisors to serve as chairman of the board. This is an honor and I share this information because my colleagues have all supported many efforts that we have made to bridge the divide. We have posted stickers with “ketebi” greetings in the administration building and invited all departments to display these as well. These were designed by Kiy Pushetonequa, a talented artist of Meskwaki descent.

I received pushback from another ranking official not understanding why we placed these stickers on Tama County building entrances since “they are their own nation.” This was a great opportunity to share a history lesson that I had learned since I moved to the area in 2020. The county and city derive their name from an Indian Chief of Meskwaki descent named Chief Taimah. The county and city version shortened the chief’s last name to Tama. It is baffling to me that lifelong residents do not know this plain historical fact. After realizing this ideal, it unlocked a principle that has guided my efforts.

Once you understand that these localisms are handed down from generation to generation without even being challenged, it is not hard to grasp the depth of even more dividing conjecture. Sadly, this has led to deep seated prejudice for more than a century and a half. It has boiled over to the regurgitation of the opening statement about property taxes. So now, after my very lengthy introduction, let me address the challenge at hand, property taxes for the Meskwaki People.

I had addressed this issue on my public Facebook page but was challenged to make a defense against the claim that the Meskwaki People do not pay property tax, and it places an unfair burden on people who pay property taxes in Tama County.

First, I am sure there are more qualified people to defend against this claim. However, since I was challenged, I am obliged to make the defense, acknowledging that I am not speaking on behalf of the Meskwaki Nation, but in my own personal capacity by using basic research skills and observations that I have noticed.

I want to qualify this defense as pertaining to Tama County property tax dollars only. There are many convoluted state and federal statutes and laws governing taxes that span hundreds of years that deal with everything from income taxes to sales taxes.

In opening the discussion, I would point out that this concept is not complex. There are cities and towns within Tama County that are sovereign, just as Meskwaki Nation is. Tama and Toledo have their own city codes, budgets, and elected officials. They operate as sovereign entities with their own governments. This is no different from Meskwaki Nation.

Where the discrepancy comes from is the claim that Meskwaki Nation does not pay property taxes to the county and causes unfair burdens on Tama County taxpayers. Let me explain why this is categorically and patently false.

While it is true that residents within the other sovereign entities of Tama and Toledo pay property taxes, what I have never heard debated is where these taxes go. Therefore, I propose my questions, what are the purposes of Tama County property tax dollars? What are they used for?

In answering this question, the explanation of what sovereignty is should become clearer. Federal law explicitly recognizes tribes as “domestic dependent nations,” a designation that grants them self�’governing powers, including authority over internal affairs and economic activity on tribal lands. The Meskwaki Nation exercises this sovereignty through its constitution, codes, tribal courts, public works, police department, and its extensive infrastructure on the Meskwaki Settlement in Tama County. [en.wikipedia.org]

I have now overseen the entire $25 million+ Tama County budgeting process for the past two years. The money that is taxed against property values for just the unincorporated areas of Tama County pays for the many services that residents in the unincorporated areas of Tama County enjoy. The largest expenditure, of course, is the secondary road budget. Additionally, county property taxpayers pay for other services like the sheriff’s office (law enforcement), jail, 911 services, courts, county attorney services, public health, ambulance services, schools, etc. As a sovereign county, it is assumed that these dollars would only benefit those in the unincorporated areas of the county except for the dollars levied against property within city limits from the county general fund. This money pays for services that are provided to cities and the county, jointly.

Similarly, Meskwaki Nation pays for their own services as a sovereign entity. As a case study, look at E911 emergency services. Tama County taxpayers within the cities and unincorporated areas pay through the Tama County general fund for these services. This totals approximately $1 million. Additionally, there is a surcharge on all telephones. Tama County’s allocation is over $200,000. The other contribution to complete the budget for E911 services is a contract for the service provider to provide these services to Meskwaki Nation for just over $125,000.

Meskwaki Nation has contracts for other services that are paid as well by their government. They have their own police department, court system, tribal code and constitution, health services (physical and mental), public works department, water treatment plant, roads department, etc. No county tax dollars go to pay for their services. I would challenge those who make the assertion that “Meskwaki Nation pays no property tax dollars, so it places an unfair burden on county taxpayers” to share their insight as to what services they are providing at no cost to the Meskwaki Nation.

An additional case could be made for the economic impact that the Meskwaki Nation has on our county. Meskwaki Nation is our county’s largest employer, pumping millions of dollars into the local economy. The impact of tourists coming to Tama County to the settlement is also not to be ignored. These tourists spend money in our businesses and establishments. This benefits us directly as we gain from local option sales tax revenue.

While I cannot flesh out every angle and debated argument, I believe that I have more than answered the question posed at the beginning of this writing. I welcome civil discourse and debate on this topic. I would gladly accept any challenges to debate the merits of my claims. I have the receipts.

I hope that I have once and for all dispelled the centuries old pernicious lie that has plagued this community and inserted a chasm between our fellow countrymen. May we all do better to eliminate the division and acknowledge that we all benefit from having “Unity in the CommUNITY!”

To learn more about Meskwaki Nation, visit… https://www.meskwaki.org/history/.

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Mark Doland of Toledo is the chairman

of the Tama County Board of Supervisors.