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Katy Citizen Watchdog$ |
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We’re Taxpayers. It’s Our Money. |
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A Katy Watchdog Member Speaks Out! |
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Hi Joe, I appreciate your response to my email. You and the other KISD board members have a difficult job. Providing a good education for our children should be your top priority. However, you must also deal with a state legislature that has not fixed the school funding problem. The politicians seem more than willing to let the local school boards take most of the heat from taxpayers. The unfair property tax burden placed on homeowners in the KISD is, unfortunately, also your problem. I believe that our school taxes are among the highest in Texas. The politicians are patting themselves on the back for cutting property taxes but are using 'smoke and mirrors'. They did not put a lower annual appraisal cap in place since they knew that increasing property values would give the districts automatic annual increases up to 10%. In my opinion, the legislature and the school boards are counting on rising property values to wipe out the property tax cuts. The majority of the appraised values in my neighborhood went up 10% in 2007. I'm 60 years old and am facing the possibility of 5 more years of increasing property taxes if our school funding system isn't changed. Property values for tax purposes should be fixed at the time a home is purchased. The legislature also blew more smoke by offering the school districts matching funds to take back almost 20% of the "Property Tax Cut". The board's decision to take the legislature's bait wasn't a 'No Brainer'. You should have said NO. The legislature didn't come up with an equitable way to fund our schools. The problem is not solved. Smoke and mirrors didn't work in the long run for Enron and it won't work for Texas schools. Texas needs to find ways to adequately fund our schools without killing the local property tax 'Golden Goose'. Our legislature and our local school districts have some hard decisions to make. Here are a few of suggestions: · Cut unnecessary state programs and pet projects pushed by lobbyist that WASTE MONEY. · Reduce costs by using standard 'no frills' school designs for all Texas school construction - no more $76 Million high schools! · Limit non-essential classes - Texas tax payers should not have to pay for bilingual education. · Limit enrollment - Texas tax payers should not have to provide an education for children of illegal immigrants. As taxpayers we can vote AGAINST all rate increases and bond proposals until the funding system is fixed. Voters need to treat ALL bond initiatives as tax increases and just say 'NO TO BONDS'. As school board members, you can talk with our state representatives and let them know that the funding problem is not fixed. Tell them no more 'smoke & mirrors'. Set an example for all Texas school boards by developing budgets that cover justified costs. Don't get caught in the trap of using the 'bond issue' credit card to fund a lifestyle we can no longer afford. I understand why bonds are needed but voting against all bonds and rate increases until the property tax system is revised seems like our only alternative. I'm going to copy some other folks on this email in hopes that we can start putting pressure on Austin to come up with a long-term solution rather than a short-term cop-out. We've voted down one bond proposal and we can do it again! Thanks for your email and concern for our children's education. You were the only board member to respond. Mike Black
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Mike Black, Katy Citizen Watchdog Member |
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Date: 11/14/2007 |
