Not one dollar more.
This is touching on what I commented on John’s blog. Voters in Niles school district have voted down a millage* proposal. Read the story here. The proposal would have called for the building of a new high school. The current high school would have been converted into a junior high. The elementary schools would have been consolidated with renovations.
If I had been a Niles resident, I probably would have voted it down too. It is more for selfish reasons than anything else. Hey, I don’t have kids. What incentive is there for me to increase my taxes to aid kids I don’t even like? But there are other arguments as well. Niles Community Schools is one of the best schools in this area of Michigan. Sure, as with all schools, it could use some upgrades. But building a new high school? That’s over-kill. In my opinion, it would have been better to ask for renovations.
A few years ago, Galien passed a millage increase. The millage was used to renovate the high school. Shortly after the renovations, Galien Jr./Sr. High was closed. Now the residents are stuck with increased taxes over a building that has largely been vacated. What a waste.
*A mill is one tenth of one percent of the taxable value of your property. Let’s say you have a property valued at $75,000. If the 7-mill proposal had gone through, you would have to pay an additional $525 a year in taxes. If anyone cares to shed more light on what a mill does, please feel free.
If I had been a Niles resident, I probably would have voted it down too. It is more for selfish reasons than anything else. Hey, I don’t have kids. What incentive is there for me to increase my taxes to aid kids I don’t even like? But there are other arguments as well. Niles Community Schools is one of the best schools in this area of Michigan. Sure, as with all schools, it could use some upgrades. But building a new high school? That’s over-kill. In my opinion, it would have been better to ask for renovations.
A few years ago, Galien passed a millage increase. The millage was used to renovate the high school. Shortly after the renovations, Galien Jr./Sr. High was closed. Now the residents are stuck with increased taxes over a building that has largely been vacated. What a waste.
*A mill is one tenth of one percent of the taxable value of your property. Let’s say you have a property valued at $75,000. If the 7-mill proposal had gone through, you would have to pay an additional $525 a year in taxes. If anyone cares to shed more light on what a mill does, please feel free.
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