School needs should have been addressed

Where were the monies allocated in the District 200 yearly budgets for repairs, maintenance and reserves for capital replacement expenditures spent and why weren't these addressed before these needs became critical issues?

District 200 states that part of the money needed to support this referendum will come from "future budgets to cover the $22 million" that they propose to contribute to the total cost. Won't this just create the same problems to be addressed and result in more taxes with future budgets?

Could the considerable monies District 200 spent on consultants to determine how to best "sell" this referendum to the Wheaton taxpayers been put to better use in addressing the critically needed repairs, maintenance and capital expenditures?

How many times has the Wheaton taxpayer been misled by "this will only cost the owner of a median priced home ($322,333) $180 per year"? Not only is this statement misleading, it does not reflect the true costs to homeowners. We have heard this same misleading justification for other referendums (Hubble, Arrowhead, and College of DuPage) and when the "onlys" are combined they are a large contributor to our high property taxes.

As schools account for 73.25 percent of our property taxes, the time has come for our schools and all of our various governmental units to begin controlling their budgets, reducing expenditures, consolidating services and better plan for future needs.

Isn't this what all homeowners in Wheaton do every day to live within our means?

Jim Harding

Wheaton