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Community Corner

ISD 197 Levy Vote May 6

School district 197 will be holding a special election on May 6.  Taxpayers will be voting on 2 new levies, totaling 28 million dollars to be paid over the next ten years.  The first ballot question is for a technology levy, $1.7million annually for 10 years, and the second is an $11.2 million building bond for early learning and security upgrades.
 
 Our goal is to have an educated public vote on May 6. Before casting your ballot, please consider three broad areas of concern:

1) Can our district afford an almost 30 million dollar levy?
-The total district general fund budget for 2013-2014 is $55 million.
-The district has $52 million in current outstanding bonds (or debt).

-The district will make interest-only payments on the $11 million levy for the first 5 yrs followed by interest and principal 

  for the remaining five years. 
-23% of the budget is funded through current levies paid for by taxpayers.
-The school board gave themselves a 13.67% pay increase. Many others had substantial salary increases.

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-Wages and benefits account for 84% of the current general fund budget.
-The district will spend 7.5 million on the new ELC building.

-The state just passed an unfunded mandate in the anti-bullying bill.  How will this be paid for?

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2) What is your responsibility?
-Property valuations are up in 2014 and 2015, so check with the Dakota County registrar where you stand.
-It will be extremely difficult for fixed income individuals and seniors to pay additional assessments, as was stated by 

   regular folks at the last school board meeting.
-These levies will increase your property taxes.

-If your apartment building's property tax increases, will your rent increase?

-Should this levy pass, our community will have $28 million dollars less to spend at grocery stores on South Robert street,

  shopping centers in Eagan, local restaurants, dry cleaners and service providers over the next ten years.  Will this hurt

  our area's local businesses?

-Will local businesses have to increase prices on goods and services to pay additional property tax levies?  Can you afford

  to pay more for these goods and services?

 

3) What are the longer term social implications of this sort of intervention?
-Should the government be responsible for early child development?

-In an era of diminishing disposable income, is it wise to raise taxes, while still increasing district debt? How much longer can we do this?
-Does high-cost early learning really have a positive long-term affect on child's life success? 
-Has more and more money per pupil correlated with better results over the last few decades?
-The district will revamp floor plans to include large spaces called "soft spaces" where sofas and furniture will create a 

  different feel for students to learn in. Does this make sense?

 

Let's not make the same mistake plaguing all levels of government in this era of "endless" credit.

 

VOTE "NO" ON THE LEVY.

 

Submitted by Sally English, english_sally@hotmail.com

 

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