Idaho Mountain Express: Levy vote is shady tactic

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Friday, October 23, 2009

Levy vote is shady tactic

Citizens should be alarmed at the way that this levy election is being conducted.

Ken Fox lives in Hailey.

By KEN FOX

Ten years ago, the Blaine County School District approached the voters of this county with an appeal for a special levy to build new schools and related infrastructure. We were told at the time that this was a one-time request, necessary because certain facilities had become dated and needed to be replaced.

We are now at the end of the 10-year period and the school district has come back to the taxpayers again, trying to renew this levy for 10 additional years. When the school district announced its intentions to seek renewal a few months ago, they hadn't even decided on what they wanted the money for, just that they wanted to continue receiving these funds. They claim that no one's taxes will be increased, although of course, everyone's property taxes will go down if the levy is not renewed.

These are hard economic times, and few people in this valley don't know individuals who have lost their employment or had their incomes severely reduced. Many people have left the valley as a result. Now is not the time for questionable expenditures on a school infrastructure that has already benefited from about $60 million extra that we, the taxpayers, put in during the last 10 years. This was in addition to the regular school funding that districts across the state receive. The hardest thing for any governmental entity to do is to turn off the spigot of easy extra cash. It would certainly have been admirable if the school district had shown some restraint and taken this approach, but it did not.

Citizens should be alarmed at the way that this levy election is being conducted. The "vote" is to occur during slack, at a time in late October when many residents who don't have children will be out of town. In addition, the "election" is not a regular election held at regular polling places, but rather in the schools themselves, where (just by coincidence) parents will be dropping off their children to go to school, and few other citizens will bother to go. This ensures that almost all the voters will be the parents of current schoolchildren, who are then given the ability to vote in their own interest, raising the taxes of all homeowners in the valley in the process.

I urge you to take the time to vote no on this levy request, either in person on Oct. 29, or to contact the school district for an absentee ballot. If and when there are real and unfunded needs that can be substantiated, then the school district can come back to the taxpayers again. Simply continuing this levy at this time will ensure that it becomes a permanent tax, increasing the cost of living for all the citizens of this valley, and making living here even less affordable in the future.

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The comments below are from the readers of mtexpress.com and in no way represent the views of Express Publishing Inc.

Randy Leighton

10/23/09 - 19:09

What happened to the large auditorium we were promised with the last levy 10 years ago? The first attempts at that levy failed, and then they promised us this large, multi use building that was to be available for community functions. It was supposed to be the final phase fo the construction, but the budget ran over and the money magically ran out before we got what was promised. Now, the district wants more. I find this unacceptable.
A 'NO' vote will force the district to scale down their wish list, require the voting be done in a normal fashion next November, and will be tallied by voting officials. As it stands, the voting takes place at the schools, is counted by the schools, and is for the schools.
I strongly urge a "NO" vote on Oct 29th.

william f. hughes

10/23/09 - 16:39

The future of these children has already been bankrupted by this more, more, more, mentality. More is never enough. These children wil never learn the lesson of restraint in this valley.

Educator – Hailey

10/23/09 - 08:19

Mr. Fox's comments indicate a lack of information on his part WRT what the levy is intended. The funding of specific projects and distribution these collected assets are clearly detailed. I urge all Blaine County residents to educate yourself to the merits of this proposed levy and vote yes on October 29th for the good of children present and future.

Reply to Educator

dismayed – Ketchum

10/23/09 - 08:54

If you truly are an "educator" employed by our school district, we should all be dismayed at the lack of education you displayed in your comment. Please brush up on your grammar and writing skills before publicly revealing your ignorance. Using that tired old phrase "for the good of the children" doesn't sway anyone - those of us who have lived here a long time know the district's history, and agree completely with Mr. Fox's excellent points.