Politics & Government

School Board Rolls Up Tax Rate By 10 Cents

The board voted 4-3 to increase the district's tax levy.

After hearing 11 out of 12 district residents speak against raising the 2011-12 tax rates in an open meeting, the board voted 4-3 to approve the proposed tax rates— which includes an approximate 10-cent increase. Board members Elaine Powers, Rich Franz and Mark Stoner were opposed. 

Chief Financial Officer Noel Knobloch said the proposed increases were due to a 3 percent decrease in the overall assessed valuation of the district. The increase generates the same level of tax revenue for the district as last year, making it revenue neutral.

The rates for 2011-2012 are as follows:

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  • Blended: $3.6748, up $.0985 from 2010
  • Residential: $3.6761, up $.1292 from 2010
  • Commercial: $3.4372, up $.0425 from 2010
  • Agricultural: $4.0897, down $.0003 from 2010
  • Personal Property: $3.9678, up $.003 from 2010

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As more than 30 residents gathered in the administration building, the speakers were worried about their homes decreasing in value while the district's taxes increased.

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“The problem is that the calculation looks at it over the 25,000 households in the district, and some people are going to pay disproportionately because of the calculation being based upon the average,” Knobloch said.

, who applied for the open school board position in June, shared his concern about the effect the tax increase would have on retirees with fixed incomes.

“You can’t arbitrarily, constantly be loading another tax on their backs,” he said. “We’d appreciate it if you’d pay attention to what these people are saying.”

George Schillinger, a 39-year district resident, said if program cuts were necessary, the district should "join the rest of us and do it with less."

One speaker commented in favor of the increase. Karen Torretta, a math teacher at Oakville High School and former Mehlville NEA President, mentioned the cuts already sustained by the staff.

“We have taken dramatic cuts that I don’t think many of our community realize… our teachers, our IT people, our secretaries, there have been cuts to all of those,” she said.

Carl Lane, an eight-year resident of the district, asked the board to consider staff salaries in their decision.

“Before raising taxes further, I suggest the board take a hard, impartial look at the pay and benefit package that teachers and administrators already have,” he said. “You should consider harsh economic realities and not be influenced by the tired old arguments we have heard so many years about teachers being underpaid.”

Stoner proposed to hold the rates the same as last year, but was met with some concern by Knobloch about the potential effect it would have on the district's reserves. 

“If you don’t increase the rates…that would drop it (the reserves) to 16 percent immediately. Next year, you’re looking at the same type of situation if you don’t increase your rates next year because next year is not a reassessment year,” Knobloch said.

Powers proposed a solution that would split the increase in half, with the district absorbing the costs as well as the residents. The move would decrease the district's reserves by about $1.2 million, Knobloch said.

“It’s less of a burden on the taxpayers in the district, but yet places some responsibility back on us as the board with the administration to dig in and say, 'Where are there some opportunities?'” she said.

As the discussion heated, board member Tom Diehl mentioned cuts already made to the budget and said he was against any further strain caused by not levying the increase.

“The allegations and innuendo regarding our finances and expenditures…are nothing more than propaganda,” he said, arguing that it was the children who were the owners of the school district, rather than the taxpayers, as Franz said.

“Tom, I want to compliment you on reading your speech, you did that really well, obviously it came from the heart,” Franz said. “What you folks don’t understand…this isn’t about the kids, this is about those folks sitting in those seats not trusting us as a board. Folks, they don’t trust you.”


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