All posts in the topic response to "Zero" Levy (Short link)

Good citizens of District 623,

The email below was forwarded to me by a forum member, and I was asked by the
district to respond. I agree that it is necessary to set the record straight
relative to the operating levy referendum, for which our community showed its
tremendous support of our local schools, and the subsequent levy which was
passed by the Roseville Area School district 623. Rants are fine, but not when
they are inaccurate.

I will start with a bit of background.

First, there are three taxing entities that can levy, and all these levies make
up your property tax bill. These include the school district, the city, and the
county in which you reside. Thus, while the school district held its levy to
zero, and I will give all the substantiating facts in one moment, the city and
the county did not. The school district cannot be held accountable for other
taxing entities.

Second, your property tax bill is based on the market value of your home. Most
assuredly, the school district and the city have absolutely NO control over the
market value of your home. If your market value increases, your levy increases.
Let us say the market value of your house is $326,000 in 2005. If in 2006 your
market value goes up to $356,00, which is a typical percent  increase in market
value in the Roseville area, you would certainly see a property tax increase.
This has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE AMOUNT OF THE LEVY THAT WAS SET BY
EACH LEVYING ENTITY.  If you are unhappy about the market value of your house,
you can contact the numbers listed on your assessment and contest your home's
assessment market value. Personally, I am glad my house is increasing in value.
It reflects how nice Roseville is as a place to live.

Now, to specifics of the levy:

I have attached the full levy the board passed. If you cannot open this
attachment, please email me directly, and I will try to send it as an
attachment again. It is 4 pages long.

The facts:

Not only did the Roseville Area School Board keep its promise relative to the 3
levies it indicated it would use to hold our levy increase to zero, we kept our
ENTIRE levy at zero percent increase. In fact, we levied 0.29 cents less than
the previous year. If you have printed the document I have attached, you will
see on page one that we underlevied by $508,643. If you turn to page 3, you can
see that in the Alternative Facilities Levy (line 2) we underlevied 58.6%, just
as we promised. In the last item on the list, you can see the voter approved
referendum, which was levied to the maximum and is money for classrooms, an
increase of 25.7%. Note also that we underlevied in 7 specific categories
altogether: abatements levy, alternative facilities levy, equity levy, health
and safety levy, integration revenue levy, lost interest levy, and safe school
levy. Thus, our total in terms of percent change in our levy is (-1.4%).  If
you turn to page 4, the bottom section indicates the total general fund
decrease in levy in the second column, the amounts of the final levies for 2005
and 2006 (columns 4 and 5) and the percent change. It is 0.0%. This was
approved by the school board unanimously.

I think it is irresponsible to accuse people of doing something wrong without
proper facts. The facts in this legal levy document clearly show that the
district MORE than fulfilled its promises to the voters. I am proud to work
with such responsible administrators. In addition, we are led by an extremely
intelligent, honest, and caring superintendent who lives within our school
district. I also am proud to work with a school board whose most important
issue is the welfare of the children who attend school in our district, while,
at the same time, being responsible to the community in which we all live.

None of your school board members are professional politicians. We are your
neighbors. Our children attend or attended the schools in district 623. We pay
taxes, just as everyone else does. We take our responsibility in representing
the people of district 623 extremely seriously.

I personally feel that our state has significantly disinvested in public
education. The statistics bear out this view point. We are not even in the top
50% in per pupil expenditures in the USA. Overall, the price of government has
gone down in Minnesota. This information is fact, and it is available on the
Department of Revenue website for the state of Minnesota.

I think these spending changes are a sad commentary on the recent change in our
moral values in this state. Taxes are used to serve the public good. I moved
here from a low tax state (South Carolina), because as a result of those low
taxes the schools were some of the worst in the nation in terms of student
achievement.

I believe it is our moral responsibility, as citizens who enjoy many
advantages, to serve the public good by supporting public education. It is only
through public education that everyone in our society can truly be equal. It is
said that to those of us with many gifts, much is expected. Part of that
expectation, in my own personal system of moral values, is to ensure that all
children have the benefits that my children have had. I will continue to
operate under this belief as long as I am a school board member.

Linda McLoon, Ph.D.
Clerk, Roseville Area School Board District 623
Ambassador, Minnesota School Board Association

Original Message-----
From: Paul Kuettel [mailto:kuettels@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 8:30 AM
To: RIF
Subject: [RIF] "Zero" Levy

Hi All!

The following was typed earlier and I sat on it to cool off.  I can't cool off.
So despite the tone, which is quite honestly how I feel, I really hope someone
can explain how I'm wrong.

I feel helpless anger at having opposed the school levy, not buying into the
apparently baldfaced lies that the Superintendent and his lapdog Board and the
un-registered political committee who raised and spent money to spread
disinformation in favor of the "Zero" levy. with no reporting of its members
and the money it collected and spent that could be accessed at the Campaign
Finanance Board.  If I am wrong in assuming the committee did not need to
register, I'd like to hear why.

From sneaking the levy on to a primary ballot to the convoluted "baffle them
with BS" obfuscation of numbers, this thing was a stealthy scam and we can't do
anything about it now.

Reminds me of 14 years ago when the big levy came through and the school
district sold a lot of it's valuable real estate.  We were similarly baffled by
the reams of charts, graphs and financial reports which were passed out at the
T.I.T. to declaw the large and angry crowd.  The future super was the chief
financial officer and he has only improved his mastery of magic by numbers.

What can we do?  The chances of electing a fiscally responsible board are worse
than me knocking off Marty in an election.

You gotta give credit to the levy supporters -- they are the ones who worked
for it and showed up to vote for it.

So here I am helpless, my excess levy has gone from 537.08 to 699.38.  Zero my
rear end (and my increase in income this year)

Ok, supporters and apologists, tell me what how wrong and what a cruel bastard
I am for wanting Thein to explain himself.

Fed up doesn't begin to describe what I feel right now.  Fed up and sick to my
stomach.

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