D100 tax increase poll

[Ted]

District 100 is considering two referenda next spring.  One referendum (a capital referendum) would be used to re-build Hiawatha and build extensions on other buildings.

The other tax referendum would be an increase in the tax rate that would bring in between $2.5 million to $5 million in additional revenue, depending on the amount of the increase.

[OakParkSpartan]

I voted for the most, but I'll never pay a cent.

D98 has a balanced budget :-)

[Bungalow]

+1.

[Bonster]

I voted for the most, but I'll never pay a cent.

D98 has a balanced budget :-)

Ha!


I did 200/200.  I believe they need a cash influx, but I'm not going full bore just yet.

[Ted]

  I talked to someone who attended the DACEE meeting last week.

  It looks like the administration and the board may be looking at a larger bond for the referendum - instead of a $35 million dollar bond, they are looking at a $50 to $55 million dollar bond.

  The options in this poll ($200/$XXX) were based on the assumption of a $35 million dollar bond.

If the bond is $50 to $55 million, the options in this poll would be $300/$XXX rather than $200/$XXX. 

  The architectural report from a few years ago said it would take $20 to $25 million to re-build Hiawatha.  The feeling of the board last spring seemed to be that it would take $25 million to $30 million to re-build Hiawatha.  Based on what the person who attended the DACEE meeting told me, it now looks like the feeling is that it will take $35 million to re-build Hiawatha.

  One interesting topic is whether the amount of tax increase will matter to how people vote in the referenda election.

  Some people seem to be of the opinion that the amount of the tax increase will not matter - that people will either vote against, no matter what the tax increase is and other people will vote in favor, no matter what the tax increase is.

  I was of the opinion that the amount does matter - some people might be willing to vote for a $200 increase but not a $700 increase and that the amount does matter.

  Do you think the amount matters?  Or will people vote for or against no matter what the amount is?

[MRS. NORTHSIDER]

  I talked to someone who attended the DACEE meeting last week.

  It looks like the administration and the board may be looking at a larger bond for the referendum - instead of a $35 million dollar bond, they are looking at a $50 to $55 million dollar bond.

  The options in this poll ($200/$XXX) were based on the assumption of a $35 million dollar bond.

If the bond is $50 to $55 million, the options in this poll would be $300/$XXX rather than $200/$XXX. 

  The architectural report from a few years ago said it would take $20 to $25 million to re-build Hiawatha.  The feeling of the board last spring seemed to be that it would take $25 million to $30 million to re-build Hiawatha.  Based on what the person who attended the DACEE meeting told me, it now looks like the feeling is that it will take $35 million to re-build Hiawatha.

  One interesting topic is whether the amount of tax increase will matter to how people vote in the referenda election.

  Some people seem to be of the opinion that the amount of the tax increase will not matter - that people will either vote against, no matter what the tax increase is and other people will vote in favor, no matter what the tax increase is.

  I was of the opinion that the amount does matter - some people might be willing to vote for a $200 increase but not a $700 increase and that the amount does matter.

  Do you think the amount matters?  Or will people vote for or against no matter what the amount is?

I think there are people who will be either in the camp of voting no no matter what and people who will vote yes no matter of the amount of the increase.  However, anyone sitting on the fence will probably lean towards the no side if the increase is larger.  The thing to remember is that taxes have increased substantially for some people in South Berwyn the past few years and continue to climb despite property values falling - that would be a hard sell for those taxpayers.

[buzz]

The chance of the school referenda passing is practically nil now that the City has announced it's plans.
Was anyone at the Council meeting Tuesday ?

[Ted]

The chance of the school referenda passing is practically nil now that the City has announced it's plans.

I doubt the average Berwynite even knows that the city was proposing to issue $38 million in bonds.  They won't notice until their taxes go up.

  I didn't see anything in the Life newspaper about the bonds and it's definitely not the kind of story that makes the Trib West Local.

[MRS. NORTHSIDER]

The chance of the school referenda passing is practically nil now that the City has announced it's plans.

I doubt the average Berwynite even knows that the city was proposing to issue $38 million in bonds.  They won't notice until their taxes go up.

  I didn't see anything in the Life newspaper about the bonds and it's definitely not the kind of story that makes the Trib West Local.

Some of us know and I have seen real estate listings from all over the Depot District recently.  I guess the tax increase will kick most of us in the ass - North Berwyn withstanding.  The students in District 100 be damned - the city needs their money. 

[chandasz]

D100 is planning a referendum--

What is this other one? The city? For what?

[buzz]

The state of the City is not all sweetness and light, no matter what the Life prints.
I believe we're borrowing to meet expenses and pay the money owed toward pensions.

I don't understand how we can be experiencing such enviable growth, such a gigantic business "boon", and still not be seeing any benefit from increased revenues ?

[MRS. NORTHSIDER]

The state of the City is not all sweetness and light, no matter what the Life prints.
I believe we're borrowing to meet expenses and pay the money owed toward pensions.

I don't understand how we can be experiencing such enviable growth, such a gigantic business "boon", and still not be seeing any benefit from increased revenues ?

i.e. - there will be no referendums for the city - they don't have to do that.  They only have to raise taxes to satisfy their expenditures.  On the other hand the school district will have to issue a referendum to get the money they need shortly after the city raises taxes.  Do I have to paint a picture here?  WWIT - a hell of alot more NOW.

[Ted]

What is this other one? The city? For what?

At the last city council meeting, the city proposed issuing two bonds totaling $38 million dollars.  One bond, around $7 million, was to keep city operations going.  That seems to have happened almost every October for at least the past decade.

  The other, a $31 million dollar bond, was to bring police and firemen pension funds up to date.

I think what Buzz and Mrs. N. are saying is that dealing with $38 million dollars in bonds from the city is going to make it harder for people to vote for a D100 tax increase or to vote for a D100 building bond that will be between $35 million to $55 million dollars.

[Ted]

  I spoke with someone involved in DACEE last week.  It looks like the board is considering numbers that are higher than what I listed in the poll.

  It sounds like the board is going to be asking for a $300/$400 option ($700 total) for a small single family home.  For larger homes and larger properties, the increase could be as high as $450/$600 ($1050 total).

The increase of $300 to $450 per year would be for re-building Hiathawa and putting extensions on other buildings. The $400 to $600 increase per year would be a tax rate increase that would increase revenue by around $5 million dollars per year.

  For me, this would increase the taxes I pay into D100 by over 50%.

  I asked whether the board and DACEE thought this would decrease the chances of the two referenda passing.  The feeling seemed to be that people would either vote for the referenda or against it, regardless of the increase amounts, so it was thought that they should go for as much as possible.