Schools should consider more efficient uses for tax money
The Pickerington School District recently shoved through a property tax for new schools, and now it's reaching toward our wallets again for a new operating tax. Plus it has already warned us to expect another tax levy to hit the ballot within two years.
Please allow me to make the following points that will influence my vote:
1) Pickerington/Violet Township residents cannot continue to afford ever escalating taxes. In an article in a major daily central Ohio newspaper: ''Better off today? Income figures say Ohioans aren't,'' dated June 13, 2007 it was stated that between 1993 and 2004, ''...the average pay decreased for those living in almost a quarter of the 53 Central Ohio school districts, including most of the largest ones: South-Western, Hilliard, Westerville, Pickerington, Worthington, Gahanna-Jefferson, Reynoldsburg and Newark.''
The article included a table showing that Real Median Income for Pickerington households from 1993-2004 decreased from $50,633 to $46,457 - a drop of 8.2 percent. Statewide, the decrease was 0.1 percent. If you add in the adjustable rate home loan debacle that is creating record home foreclosures, along with escalating energy costs, I'm guessing that a lot of my Pickerington and Violet Township neighbors are getting squeezed hard right now.
2) This operating levy is a ''permanent replacement'' for an expiring ''renewal'' levy. In simple terms, this means that the renewal levy provided schools with the same annual funds, but the amount drawn from each property decreased as more homes were added to the district. The new levy will cause a property's taxes to increase as the assessed value of that property increases. The school board's thinking is that they'll automatically get more money from residents each year without having to come and ask us for it as frequently through tax levies. That's great for them, but won't that cause us to relinquish an important check and balance in our tax structure? Each time the school district is forced to place a tax levy on the ballot, it gives me, the taxpayer, the option to tell them yes or no with my vote. I couldn't imagine getting an automatic raise at my job each year without my superiors having any say in the matter.
3) The Vote for Pick Kids Fundraising Committee used some troubling tactics to solicit ''donations'' from companies who conduct business with the school district. This committee sent letters asking for a $1,500 minimum donation from these companies. If I owned one of the businesses that received such a solicitation, I'd feel forced to write a check to this committee and not complain about it, or risk losing a valuable contract with the schools. And of course the school board has denied any knowledge of this fundraising activity.
Folks, I'll be voting ''no'' for this tax increase on Election Day. I recommend that instead of spending its time and resources strategizing on how to get more money out of our wallets, the school board should instead consider more efficient uses of its current tax money and live within its budget - just like the rest of us do.
Frank Covucci
Violet Township
By SE Messenger letter
The Pickerington School District recently shoved through a property tax for new schools, and now it's reaching toward our wallets again for a new operating tax. Plus it has already warned us to expect another tax levy to hit the ballot within two years.
Please allow me to make the following points that will influence my vote:
1) Pickerington/Violet Township residents cannot continue to afford ever escalating taxes. In an article in a major daily central Ohio newspaper: ''Better off today? Income figures say Ohioans aren't,'' dated June 13, 2007 it was stated that between 1993 and 2004, ''...the average pay decreased for those living in almost a quarter of the 53 Central Ohio school districts, including most of the largest ones: South-Western, Hilliard, Westerville, Pickerington, Worthington, Gahanna-Jefferson, Reynoldsburg and Newark.''
The article included a table showing that Real Median Income for Pickerington households from 1993-2004 decreased from $50,633 to $46,457 - a drop of 8.2 percent. Statewide, the decrease was 0.1 percent. If you add in the adjustable rate home loan debacle that is creating record home foreclosures, along with escalating energy costs, I'm guessing that a lot of my Pickerington and Violet Township neighbors are getting squeezed hard right now.
2) This operating levy is a ''permanent replacement'' for an expiring ''renewal'' levy. In simple terms, this means that the renewal levy provided schools with the same annual funds, but the amount drawn from each property decreased as more homes were added to the district. The new levy will cause a property's taxes to increase as the assessed value of that property increases. The school board's thinking is that they'll automatically get more money from residents each year without having to come and ask us for it as frequently through tax levies. That's great for them, but won't that cause us to relinquish an important check and balance in our tax structure? Each time the school district is forced to place a tax levy on the ballot, it gives me, the taxpayer, the option to tell them yes or no with my vote. I couldn't imagine getting an automatic raise at my job each year without my superiors having any say in the matter.
3) The Vote for Pick Kids Fundraising Committee used some troubling tactics to solicit ''donations'' from companies who conduct business with the school district. This committee sent letters asking for a $1,500 minimum donation from these companies. If I owned one of the businesses that received such a solicitation, I'd feel forced to write a check to this committee and not complain about it, or risk losing a valuable contract with the schools. And of course the school board has denied any knowledge of this fundraising activity.
Folks, I'll be voting ''no'' for this tax increase on Election Day. I recommend that instead of spending its time and resources strategizing on how to get more money out of our wallets, the school board should instead consider more efficient uses of its current tax money and live within its budget - just like the rest of us do.
Frank Covucci
Violet Township
By SE Messenger letter
