Speakout

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Look at taxes before voting

Yes, I would like to invite people to look at their tax bills. This upcoming school tax is going to double or triple your school tax bill. People making payments on their homes will see their escrow and their payments increase because of this. Newer schools don’t mean a better education. It’s just a showcase for teachers. Look at your tax bill again and see if you can afford another new school. Thank you for letting me speak out.

“The bond proposal request before Sikeston R-6 School District voters on April 7 is $18.6 million. This proposal will not “double or triple” anyone’s tax bill. If passed, it will result in an 11 percent increase to only the portion of a citizen’s personal and real property taxes on the Schools R-6 line of the tax receipt. The debt levy (which is a relatively small part of the R-6 tax) is the only part of the school taxes that will increase. The debt levy only will rise from 21 cents to 63 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Even after this increase, the Sikeston R-6 debt levy will still be one of the lowest debt levies in the region. To determine the effect on a voter’s tax assessment, multiply 1.11 by the R-6 line (not the entire county tax assessment) of the 2019 county tax receipt. You can also calculate the effect of passage of the bond issue on this tax by going to the website www.schools4sikeston.” — Better Schools for Better Communities Committee