Guest Opinion - Stegall, Two Cans of Pop

Two Cans of Pop

By Mike Stegall

Republican Candidate for Darke County Commissioner

Whenever there is a complex problem or a real controversy, the most enjoyable part of the solution to me is trying to put the solution into words that people can relate to.  By doing this, I think it makes what I am trying to get across simpler to understand.  The biggest controversy in the Greenville area right now is the school bond issue. There is so much emotion on both sides of the argument that sometimes the actual facts get lost.  This is a very important subject to a lot of people and needs to be looked at rationally.

The arguments for a new 5^th to 8^th grade school are obvious to anyone who has been to our schools.  They are old, not equipped for the modern era in teaching, contain asbestos, are terribly costly to maintain, and in some cases, dangerous.  Even opponents to the bond issue must admit that the buildings are outdated.  The opponents to the bond issue normally have two issues with the levy: 1) It will raise taxes in a terrible economy right now for a long time, and 2) A lot of people are on a fixed income and can’t afford any more.  Both are extremely good arguments, and true to a degree, but lets take a deep breath and look at both arguments logically and with a cool head. 

The first argument is true.  Your taxes will go up. How much?  Well, if your home is worth $100,000, the amount per year will be $106.78!  How did I get that number? I talked to the Auditor’s Office, not the school board. This is how it works out:  on a $100,000 home you are only taxed on 35% of the value, or $35,000. The bond is a 2.89 mil plus .5% classroom facility bond, which is required for a total of 3.39 mils. (This is less than the emergency operating levy voted and approved in May of 2009 that took effect in February of this year which was 3.91 mils)!  Anyway, $35,000 times 3.39 mils ($35,000x.00339= $118.65.) Now the total is $118.65, but everybody in the district, excluding industry and commercial businesses, gets a 10% rollback on their taxes. So, $118.65 minus the 10% rollback = $106.78.( I know, I know, it’s a lot of numbers, but bear with me!)  Now, let’s divide that by 52 weeks in a year and it comes to $2.06 per week!  This amount is less than a Big Mac, a pack of cigarettes, one gallon of gas, or two cans of pop per week!  Pretty cheap when you break it down like that, isn’t it?

As for the other argument, well if you think about it logically, most people are on a fixed income. What do I mean? Look at it this way: if you get a paycheck every week, like most of us do, then you know how much you are getting every week. You get the same amount all the time. Your income is fixed. It is the same every week, unless of course you are on commission or get overtime.  What do you do when something unexpected happens and your paycheck is the same all the time?  You do like the rest of us.  You make do the best you can! It makes it tougher to get by, but we all manage somehow, don’t we?

I am just like all of you, a property owner who hates paying taxes.  Taxes, unfortunately, are a necessary evil.  In this case they will provide a new school for our 5^th thru 8^th graders. I guess you can look at anything and pick it apart.  I choose to look at everything in a simple light.  So, to me the question for the opponents of the school levy is this: Are the children in the Greenville School District worth two cans of pop a week? I can live without them, and I am sure you can, too.