3 chances to tell St. Charles school officials how to handle tax increase
St. Charles residents will get their first real look at the sales pitch for a school tax increase referendum during the second and third full weeks of April. The reaction to that sales pitch will largely determine the amount asked for and when the question appears on local ballots.
School board members split at a recent meeting to determine when a tax increase referendum has the best chance to succeed. The options are to ask in November, April 2017 or March 2018.
There are issues with all three dates. Asking in November might cloud the question with emotions related to the presidential race. Asking in April ties the tax increase question into the next school board election. Waiting until March 2018 means a lengthy delay to the ultimate annual savings district officials want to achieve.
The plan right now is to close Haines Middle School. That will save taxpayers about $2.4 million a year. The two remaining middle schools, Wredling and Thompson, would need upgrades to accommodate more students and provide equal educations across the district. That's where the tax increase referendum comes in.
District residents will be asked to consider the tax increase in light of a soon-to-come major reduction in the taxes they currently pay to the district. A series of bonds will be retired in 2018. With that debt gone, the owner of a $300,000 home should see about a $500 drop in their property tax bill.
The wording and amounts of a school referendum have not been determined. District staff members have estimated that $500 drop would become about a $300 drop if voters say "yes" to the money the district needs to close Haines and improve the other two middle schools.
Voters can tell the school board how willing they are to take a smaller property tax decrease at three identical public forums. There will be one forum at each of the three middle schools. All are 6 to 8:30 p.m. and April 14 at Thompson, April 18 at Haines and April 21 at Wredling.
The school board will gather feedback and determine a course of action at a special meeting April 25.