ELOST IV
All of which brings us to ELOST IV, the fourth education local option sales tax, whose fate will be decided on November 3, 2009. ELOST III targeted $21,260,500, but current projections are that we will come in a few million dollars under that figure, somewhere around $18,318,843. In other words, we will fall short of the target by some $2.9 million. So, it makes perfect sense to target $29,575,000 for ELOST IV. It's not that we really plan to collect that money, but it is convenient not to have to face the taxpayers for another five years, and it gives us a pretty good sized sinking fund for whatever we finally decide to do with the money. Note that the original intent of the special purpose tax for education has been lost. Now we just collect whatever we can collect, and spend it as we see fit later. Here is the ballot; it isn't very specific.
The election has been moved to 2009, instead of 2010, unnecessarily. The superintendent doesn't want to have the vote in November of 2010 because that is just too close to the end of ELOST III, and he wants some stability in revenue projections so he can make capital spending plans. The other logical time to have the election is during the summer primary of 2010, but that doesn't work for the superintendent. He is the largest employer in the county, and many of his employees will be on summer vacation during the primary season. That won't do.
So the school board is paying the board of elections $14,500 to put this sales tax on the ballot county wide. There is no other county wide election this year. That cost really is small potatoes compared to the potential for a multi-million dollar sinking fund. And after all, it isn't like it's really their money, is it? If they need more, they will just raise my taxes.
I do not doubt that this tax will pass. The last one passed by a 90-10 margin, and the voters of this county tend to approve any tax that is "for the children" or "for the schools". They never seem to check to see whether their tax dollars are spent to any good purpose. And after all, it is only a penny on the dollar. And lots of out-of-towners spend money in our county, so isn't it just peachy-keen if we can stick the bill for our children's educations to strangers?
Just remember this: once they have the money, they will spend it any way they see fit. It doesn't have to be the way they told you it would be spent.
There are only two checks on spending. The first check is the elected school board. But that is no check at all. I have searched the minutes of the board meetings here, and I cannot find a single board vote that wasn't unanimous. You check it out, and let me know if I've missed one. Think of it: my school board member ran as a Democrat, and votes as a Democrat. She has approved every spending item, approved every tax, disapproved of tax relief for senior citizens. The Republican from Buckhead is the county's "Mr. Republican." He contributes letters to the editor giving the Republican position on every issue of the day. Yet his voting record on the school board is identical with that of my Democratic school board member. Identical. He comes from the Arlen Specter wing of the Republican party. The school board is no help.
That leaves the second, and only reliable, check on spending. Vote "No" on ELOST IV. If you don't give them the money in the first place, they can't spend it.