Sunday, November 04, 2007

Hartford School Referendum

FYI - this is on the ballot on Tuesday too.

Residents in the Hartford Joint 1 School District will vote Tuesday on whether to borrow almost $25 million and increase spending by an additional $593,000 a year to help alleviate school district crowding.

[...]

The first question is whether to authorize the district to borrow up to $24.9 million to acquire land on the city’s northwest side, build a new elementary school there, and improve and expand the district’s three other schools.

The second question is whether to authorize the district to exceed state revenue limits by $593,000 a year to pay for staff and meet other operational expenses related to the new school.

I’m not sure about the $24.9 million.  That might make sense, but I haven’t looked at it in any depth.  I would vote against the $593k.  Anything that is recurring like that - and on which will be built future increases - is a bad idea.

(5) Comments
Posted by Owen at 2331 hrs
Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. So you’d be opposed to it even though you have no idea what the merits of the specific question are.

    That’s brilliant.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 04, 2007 at 2357 hrs


  2. ATV, to paraphrase Jules Winnfield, “English, do you read it?”

    Posted by steveegg on November 05, 2007 at 0828 hrs


  3. Owen

    You don’t have to know anything about this referendum to figure out what is going on in Hartford.  It is right out ot the WEAC playbook.  Whatever you need for a new school

    1. Ask an for an outrageously higher number than you need to build the school, because you may get it.
    2. Hold the referendum during a year when there is nothing else on the ballot except the school.
    3.Play with the real numbers and present them that way to the media because they are to lazy to check to see if they are real.
    4. Tell the taxpayers that if they don’t vote for this that you will be right back to them with another referendum in the next election.


    Owen

    I sat on the citizens committee to look at the options to build a new school.  I asked to be on the committee and was not liked because I asked hard questions. When we disbanded, the numbers being thrown around where in the 12 to 15 million range.  There were people who talked about donating land rather than having to buy land.  The remodels where no where in the range they are talking .

    Where did it go?  I wasn’t asked back to the committee, they are talking about 25 million and buying land, which is really 40 million after interest, and doesn’t include new district staff to put into the school which is where the big tax dollars needed will add up.

    Bottom line I tried to get involved to no avail.  Good luck Hartford.  We are already #1 in Washington county when it comes to property taxes.  This will keep us there forever.  And I will vote with my feet if it passes and move after living here for 25 years. Hello Mayville here I come.

    This decision is being driven by a few people including the district administrator and the mayors wife and they will stop at nothing to get what they want.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 05, 2007 at 1107 hrs


  4. Owen,
    I live in Hartford & will be voting against this mainly because I am against any tax increases. Sunday afternoon a taxpayer group taped fliers to our doors saying to vote no, and they used population facts, which is what the schools used to say we should vote for it. It was brilliant and well stated. I hope not too late to get the point across though.

    I have to confess, I am starting to look at different states to see what their taxes are like & the job environement is like. It seems as though everytime I have voted in the last 6 years in Hartford, they keep trying to get permission to raise taxes (which isn’t anything new in the grand scheme), but it just gets old.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 05, 2007 at 1355 hrs


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