Letter: Vote no on school district referendums

Editor’s Note: For clarity, the property tax increase referenced below is not accurate for all property taxpayers. The $146 increase included in this letter only pertains to a property assessed at a $100,000.  

To the Editor-

The Stevens Point School District has two referendums on the Nov. 6, 2018 ballot.

The first question is to exceed the revenue limit by $3.5 million on a recurring basis for operational funds. The second question is for authority to borrow $75.9 million for deferred maintenance.

It is essential for Stevens Point School District voters to understand the significant difference between a recurring and non-recurring referendum. Here’s an explanation that may shed some light.

School districts may run two types of operational referenda: recurring and non-recurring. A recurring referendum allows a school district to levy that additional amount forever, without having to go back to the community periodically for permission to again exceed the funding limit. A non-recurring referendum means that a school district can only levy that additional amount, for the period of time defined in the solution.

If a school district requests a three-year non-recurring referendum, the funding limit reverts to the State of Wisconsin’s limit at the end of the three years. This option was made available because it provides an end date (sunset date) for the referendum and allows residents to make another informed choice in future years.

Bottom line, if both of these referendums pass, your property taxes will increase by $146 per year. Stevens Point did a citywide assessment of properties in 2017 and the majority saw a big tax increase. Please join me in voting NO on the two Stevens Point School District referendums.

Bob Larson
Stevens Point

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