School board votes to put tax increase on ballot

Follow the pre-meeting details here: http://evergreenbound.com/forums/viewto ... f=6&t=3076

School board votes to put tax increase on ballot
By Gabrielle Porter
Thursday, June 7, 2012

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The Board approved the budget for 2012-13 school year. Total amount of $930,658.000.

The board also considered a motion to surplus property at Little White School House in Conifer. The current motion before the board was only to declare the property surplus so it can be sold. The motion was approved 4 to 1.

You can see this information, and more, on the Jeffco Public Schools Twitter page - they Tweet live from the Board meeting. Meeting minutes will be available later here: http://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/board/minutes.html

The agenda for tonight's meeting: http://www.boarddocs.com/co/jeffco/Boar ... TNHQ600D6C
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To see a debate between proponents and opponents of the tax increase and mill levy, see the last Public Affairs Meeting video here:
[youtube:lq7um8i5][/youtube:lq7um8i5]

The tax base (people and property values) is shrinking up here

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taxes must go up or services CUT

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we are not a socialist state. GET IT YET FOLKS ??

Jeffco Taxpayers spend over $11,800 per year- per student in the district school system. The funding is already there- a full 50% of our property taxes in Jefferson County go directly to the school system.

The Jefferson County school system is the single largest property tax government entity we have in the county. It is currently overfunded- and should be the first place we look to CUT our taxes- not increase them.

This new tax proposal is just what the school board does every election- put foward yet another proposal to raise our taxes. They do it like clockwork because it's no skin off their back to keep coming back to the taxpayer again and again and again- year after year after year. Back in the 90's- almost all their tax proposals were passed, with no improvement in student test scores.

Under the current economic environment- they stand only a snowballs chance in hell of passing yet another tax proposal. They have plenty of money to educate our kids- in fact school student enrollment numbers in Jeffco are falling- which leaves more dollars per student.

The claims in the above video in favor of the new tax are blatantly false and misleading.

Watch as this so called "engineer" uses example after example numbers to argue why Jeffco needs more money- only he dosn't use Jefferson County Numbers for his argument- he uses state wide numbers, which are much lower funding figures than what we have here in Jefferson County.

Some counties in Colorado only have a fraction of the funding dollars for their schools- as we have in Jefferson County- using state numbers to compare to Jefferson County Schools is misleading- and a deceptive tatic- I have seen it before.

Sorry Mr. Engineer- who wants higher taxes- your claim that more and higher property taxes "increases" property values is also false- people do not move into communities because they have higher taxes- in fact the opposite is true. People are more attracted to communities where the tax rates are still reasonable.

I'm also an engineer- so you can't fool me with your misleading examples on the numbers. I'm also one of those who was educated in The Jefferson County school system and a graduate of Evergreen high school. I grew up here- and this is my home, and I'd like to keep it affordable for those who want to stay here- like myself and my family members.

I remember when they produced better qualified students with only 25% of the funding they have today. Test scores were higher back then compared with today- and they now have 4 times as much money.

No- the problem isn't money, but for those who have a never ending thirst for more and more of our tax doillars- there's no convincing them otherwise.

Lets keep Evergreen and Conifer a place where families can afford to live- where people like me who grew up in the area can afford to retire. If we raise taxes everytime our local government wants us to- many of us will not be able to afford to retire here.

Just ask the senior citizens in Evergreen and Conifer who are on a fixed income, they have seen their investments shrink- and are struggling to make ends meet these days - if another tax increase will help them!

Vote NO on this tax proposal.

"Lets keep Evergreen and Conifer a place where families can afford to live- where people like me who grew up in the area can afford to retire. If we raise taxes everytime our local government wants us to- many of us will not be able to afford to retire here. "

Look at the RTD lots daily about 1000

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empty. What do you think is happening

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??? We get what we pay for

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and few taxpayers will come here, buy the depressed property and pay ANY taxes because the services here suck. We are twisting in the wind. Backhoe operators and firewood will not sustain

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we are dying

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period.

deltamrey wrote: The tax base (people and property values) is shrinking up here

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taxes must go up or services CUT

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we are not a socialist state. GET IT YET FOLKS ??

That would be incorrect logic.

If the tax base "People" is shrinking, then we should have less need for as many teachers, books, etc. Lower use should mean lower costs. No tax increase necessary.

If the tax base "Property value" shrinks, they need to adapt the mill levy, as they do all the time. Property taxes should stay the same, even on dropping values. When homes were going up by large amounts (doubling in a few years) I don't remember property taxes doubling. At least from my experience, they increased slightly (which I disagree with anyway). They don't need additional revenues, they just need the revenues to cover their costs, which should be shrinking.

My logic is perfect

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fewer taxpayers, less revenue......only two choices.....CUT services (fire clerks, cops, etc) or increase taxes.

Old hippies and laid off construction workers pay few taxes

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we MUST attract more middle class wage earners from down the hill.

Look around - no construction, empty RTD lots, closed businesses

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wake up ?? or not.

deltamrey- you may be one of the many "johnny come lately" city slickers- but you are talking to someone who has been around here a while. Since the 70's.

I have seen the up's and the downs- in fact this is the 4th downturn I have experienced. This area booms when the economy does well- and it contracts during recession. Going against the trend up here just does not work- you can't get more people moving up here during bad times.

In fact you'll waste alot of energy trying- don't worry- we won't be able to keep people like you from moving up here once things turn around. I only hope we can keep people from turning this place into a New Jersey or Californicated look alike.

The RTD lots are empty because people up here DRIVE to work- like me.

And your put down about firewood and backhoe operators wont go un-noticed, those are some very hard working people - harder workers than the school board members who want more money out of those "backhoe operators.

We have a very nice area here, if only we can keep it from being destroyed by those who want every city service and lwant the higher and higher taxes that go with all those services. Many of us moved up here to get away from that crap!

Many of the houses here are 500K to 1.5 million dollars- much much higher value than down in the city on average- which is why the school district is has $11,800 for each student every year- they are fully funded - they already have more than they need to do what they are supposed to do- educate our kids. Tell me why as our tax rates go up- the kids test scores go down? Money is not the problem.

And you seem to have no regard for those in our community who are on a fixed income. What is your response to my assertion that many elderly residents simply CAN NOT afford to pay all the higher taxes that people like you want? You just don't give a damn about them do you- huh?

And what about my concern that I will not be able to afford to live in my home town- because idiots like you move in here and vote to drive up the cost of living here every chance you get?

You think you are helping- go back to New Jersey- it's still just the way it was when you left. In fact that's probably why you left isn't it?

This place will boom again when the economy improves- and we will have to beat away the city slickers with sticks, just like in the past. The problem is that they move here in good times- vote in a bunch of taxes- and the minute things look a little tough- they move away and leave us holding the bag.

I wish I could make them take their taxes with them- but those of us who are here for the long run get stuck with them- it sucks.

RTD lots were FULL eight years ago

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you are deluded

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obviously. You can see the stars but not the light

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This place will boom again when the economy improves- and we will have to beat away the city slickers with sticks, just like in the past. The problem is that they move here in good times- vote in a bunch of taxes- and the minute things look a little tough- they move away and leave us holding the bag. "

They leave because we are in a Depression----you bet you got the "bag"......the environment here cannot hold the real taxpayers

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heal thyself FIRST......

BTW, IMHO

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this tax increase will probably not pass

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then the "locals" will be happy

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well sort of

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poor schools do not attract the taxpayers we need

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and all services suffer

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look at Park county

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a "model" of civic responsibility

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my, my

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