Residents can make their feelings known Monday
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff writer
The Burlington Area School District’s contentious tax levy approval process will reach a crescendo Monday when residents throughout the district will have a chance to be heard at an annual meeting redo.
With the state deadline for approval of school district tax levies looming, a special meeting of school district electors – scheduled because a group gathered more than 100 signatures on a petition requesting the school district revisit the levy – will be held Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Burlington High School gymnasium.
Two different items will be on the agenda – one requesting the electors approve last year’s tax levy of $19.65 million (meaning no tax increase) and one proposing the approval of the proposed levy of $20.4 as the school board determined during its budget process.
Contentious process
Setting the tax levy for the 2011-12 has been a work in progress since Aug. 29, when the electorate gathered at the annual meeting voted down the proposed levy of $20.4 million – an increase of about 3.63 percent – by a 153-115 vote.
However, with the budget already set and approved for the school year, the board went against the advisory vote and approved the tax levy just three days later in a hastily called second meeting.
Since then, the district has confirmed that the closing of a City of Burlington tax incremental financing district will add more property value to the district and drop the actual increase to about 1.63 percent. BASD has also confirmed state aid estimates were pretty much right on track for the school year.
That means the school district will have limited options if they do not pass the proposed tax levy.
District officials have also said that, in order to receive a $50 per student bump in state aid next year – after taking a cut of about $550 per pupil in the state’s 2011-13 biennial budget – the district needs to clear out its under levy of the past few years, hence the raise in taxes this year. The district will be operating at a surplus this year, but school district officials are anticipating further cuts next year.
Since the annual meeting, there have also been a number of local residents who have asked why school district employees are not paying 12 percent of their premium toward their health insurance – a figure that would’ve allowed the district to avoid a tax hike.
A study done by BASD Board Member Larry Anderson shows that through higher co-pays and deductibles, district employees are now paying roughly 15 percent of their health insurance costs.
The district is expecting a large turnout for the vote – both from the original group that protested the tax levy increase and from other district residents who did not attend the first meeting. Anyone 18 years or older who has lived in the district for more than 10 days is eligible to vote on the tax levy.
BASD Superintendent David Moyer sent out a districtwide email last week informing residents of the meeting. He said Tuesday the board has been unfairly criticized.
“The board has tried to keep the levy relatively consistent over time to avoid spikes and drops,” Moyer said. “I think that school finances are a pretty complicated thing. Next year is going to be an even more difficult year than this year for school districts.”
Blast from the past
BASD Business Administrator Peter Smet said Tuesday that, when he looked through old files last week, he discovered a special meeting had been held in the past – on Sept. 8, 1986.
According to the records, the board had proposed a tax levy amount of $6.9 million, but residents asked it be modified to $6.3 million. The electorate approved the modified levy, but then had a special meeting on Sept. 8 to consider the original levy.
Smet said Bill Campbell, who was on the board at the time, said the original levy amount was passed.
It is an interesting twist in light of everything that is going on this year – and provides an interesting perspective because of the attendance at the second vote.
According to records, 1,077 people voted for the original tax levy, while 609 voted no.
Smet said Tuesday that the plan is to prepare for 2,000 voters Monday night, and to be in the BHS gymnasium with 2,000 seats and 2,000 ballots.
And while the first annual meeting drew heated criticism and debate, Smet is hoping for some semblance of calm Monday.
“I think everyone will be reasoned,” Smet said. “It will be democracy in America, but I think it will be organized.”
Moyer, meanwhile, felt that the eight-month budget process had done its job in the first place.
“The board agreed this was an appropriate budget to serve our needs,” the superintendent said. “I would hope they made that decision for a reason in the first place, and have confidence in that decision.”
However, Roger Koldeway, who led the petition drive seeking Monday’s meeting, said in a letter to the Standard Press this week that district officials have been unwilling to listen to opinions unless they confirm their own.
“(The action of district officials) shows no consideration for the taxpayer in this very difficult economic time.”
The vote of electors at Monday’s meeting is advisory. The School Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, to officially establish the tax levy.
Follow Monday’s meeting online
For those unable to attend next Monday’s annual meeting, the Standard Press will provide live updates online.
Visit www.myracinecounty.com after 7:30 p.m. for regular updates from the meeting.
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