Deceit: The action or practice of deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth.
In the referenced letter to the editor (in another local publication) many statements were made that are misleading, false, and deceitful. Whether intentional or not, these statements misrepresent facts, and serve to confuse voters to the detriment of our children.
The levies appearing on the March 17th ballot DO NOT increase taxes to our residents and allows property taxes our residents have been paying for a decade to continue into the future without the costly requirement to renew them over and over again. These levies ARE NOT new taxes.
This is a plan that was analyzed by the Board, in public, over 13 months, and discussed openly with the public, as well as covered in social media. The openness and transparency around these levies have been extraordinary.
While there are many statements made in the referenced letter to the editor that are misleading, there are several that I feel warrant a response.
· Statement: After 3 NO votes for a Mega School…
· Truth: The reasons people in the community did not approve a bond issue in November of 2017, May of 2018, and the bond issue combined with an income tax in November of 2019 is varied and the claim that the “NO” votes were simply against a “Mega School” is in fact deceitful. I have heard from many people that the cost of the school, and or the type of tax were their reasons for voting no. To claim that the attempt to provide a community school was the sole reason people did not approve the bond issue and income tax requests is simply untrue.
· Statement: While BGCS claims that these levy issues are renewals, nothing could be further from the truth. These are not renewals of the current levies. These issues have been rewritten to become permanent. If passed, you will lose your right to vote FOREVER on these taxes.
· Truth: The levies on the March ballot are a part of a plan to reduce the number of times the District needs to return to voters to ask for the continuation of an already existing tax. Each levy that’s on the ballot next week will continue to collect the same taxes residents have been paying for the last decade. They have been changed so that each levy will become “continuing” NOT “permanent”. Continuing means the taxes can remain in effect until such time as the Board or the community decide they are no longer needed. You do NOT lose your right to stop the taxes in the future.
· Statement: BGCS is not in a financial crisis which warrants a forever tax.
· Truth: No one has made the claim under any circumstance the District is in a financial crisis. The levies on the ballot do not increase taxes and are not intended to raise money to pay future expenses, or to avoid a financial crisis. These levies will continue to collect the current taxes residents have been paying for the last ten years.
· Statement: The State has recommended that BGCS equalize their tax base with a higher income tax ratio.
· Truth: The State, state department, or representative of the State has not, in any way, recommended to the residents of the Bowling Green School District, that the District equalize its tax base with any type of tax (property or income). The State does NOT make such recommendations.
· Statement: Income taxes would greatly reduce the tax bills of many property owners.
· Truth: Income taxes are paid by individual residents of the District. They are not paid by businesses and certain farming organizations. Any taxes levied in the form of an income tax will INCREASE taxes on most individual residents and LOWER taxes on businesses and certain farming organizations.
· Statement: If passed, BGCS would be granted the freedom to hand out raises and/or leverage the money for bonds to build the Mega School that this community opposes.
· Truth: The levies on the ballot next week do NOT generate more money than is already being collected from taxpayers in the district. There will not be any additional money to pay raises beyond what is already being paid and does NOT provide additional money that can be used to build school facilities.
The Board of Education spent many hours working in public meetings over the past 13 months to try to develop a plan of taxation that is fair, equitable and sustainable for all taxpayers both now and into the future. We reviewed in detail the pros and cons of income and property taxes, temporary and continuing levies, and ways to preserve the discounts many of our residents receive on their existing property taxes today.
The two issues on the ballot represent the first step in our effort to improve how often we return to the ballot, while still preserving taxpayer’s discounts, maintaining our current level of service, all without increasing your taxes.
I encourage you to vote on Tuesday, March 17th.
Ginny Stewart
President, Board of Education
Bowling Green City Schools
