Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

I am a ''non-resident'' with 3 children in the PLSD. Although I fear I am now putting my head on the chopping block, allowing my views and opinions to crucify me, I feel I must speak out. Three years ago, I relocated here from a Cleveland area suburb. Now we all are aware the Cleveland schools have had financial, racial and bussing problems at times. The best thing that ever happened to Cleveland schools was them being literally taken over by the State of Ohio for management. For the first time in years, they are now operating without a deficit, without bussing kids across the city, and with the teachers getting regular praise and compensation for their efforts. I would love to see the mismanagemnt that occurs in this town via the school board and closely followed by the City Council, have their ''power'' taken away.
I went to my first Council meeting 2 weeks ago with my husband. Many of the city officials looked as though we were keeping them awake, one in particular bobbed his head down several times. The room was packed with concerned citizens. It will be again this week too because the taxpayers, and we ARE taxpayers, not just ''residents'', having elected them to be where they are and to represent the PEOPLE, not the COUNCIL. Another thing...
Where is the 1% tax which our income provides going anyway? Is Homewood really going to ruin their reputaion by suing Pickerington for ''thousands of dollars'' as the mayor puts it? Hardly, but they can waste thousands on fancy brick entrances and Issue 4 signs every four feet! My vote is a resounding NO!! And I am telling everyone I see. We all have to live within our budgets. Bring on the trailers, bring on the overcrowded classrooms that you regularly threaten us with. Let the State see what you've done with our money and our children. Do you think they'd be proud of your ''27/27 Report Card'' if they knew the sacrifices people are making to provide their kids with a good education? let's find out.

It is time for action

Janine,

I know it took a lot of courage for you to put your name on your posting this morning. You have my admiration for your courage. If you do get calls or the other types of intimidation please post what they say on this web site. I will be posting a call I received this morning in the next day or two.

You are right to include the Pickerington Local School Board with your comments. They have known since 1997 that our real estate tax base has been one of the weakest in the state. We were among the BOTTOM seven out of 611 school districts in Ohio. Yet since then the city has annexed 100?’s of acres and zoned them all with houses. They took land that was on the Comprehensive Land Use plan in 1997 scheduled to be commercial property and changed that plan to reflect the developer?’s wishes. They changed over 600 acres from commercial to residential property on that plan. YET THEY CLAIM THEY SUPPORT THE SCHOOLS. No one knew anything about it because they advertised the change in the Lancaster Eagle Gazette. That is legal but there are only 200 people in Pickerington that receive that paper. So when they had the open house to display the new plan in May of 2000. Guess what, no one showed up. Comments at the council meeting were, ?“NO ONE CARED.?” Well the plan went into effect in March of 2001 and was passed as emergency.

This was just in time for the city to start their massive annexation/ rezoning of numerous properties into Pickerington. June 2001 Diley farm 540 lots passed as emergency, September 2001 Painter Kohler farm 340 passed as emergency at the direction of John Bain CEO of Homewood. Of course Councilman Monebrake got most of his family farm rezoned to R-4 or higher zonings. All of these passed as emergency. Most of the Monebrake farm was commercial on the 1993 Comprehensive Land Use plan. Now don?’t forget about the 316 acres that were annexed into Pickerington despite a court injunction. There are 682 lots in this project.

The only PICKERINGTON SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS EVER TO COME TO THE PICKERINGTON CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AND SPEAK OUT WERE GAIL OAKES AND BRUCE RIGELMAN. Wes MonHollen has attended but didn?’t say anything.

Everyone sees the problem except those that make the decisions. It is time even those in office make the effort to correct the tax payer?’s dilemma.


Janine I will see you at the next council meeting.

PROUD OF YOU !!!!

JANINE,
GOOD TO HAVE YOU IN OUR DISTRICT AND I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU FOR SIGNING YOUR POSTINGS, MOST PEOPLE DONT SIGN THEIR NAMES ON THIS SITE, AND A LOT OF THEM HAVE GOOD IDEAS AND THOUGHTS. IF WE COULD JUST FIND OUT WHO THEY ARE SO WE COULD UNITE, KEEP ON WRITING!!
BRUCE ROOKSTOOL