It pained me to have voted against our recent decision to increase our city tax rate; potentially leaving a serious amount of money on the table. But, I have to say, there are many reasons why I definitely don’t agree that CIPS should ask for this tax rate change.
And here are just a few...
Reason #1 - Financial Burden on Those Most in Need
First and foremost, this property increase will disproportionately create an ill-effect on those of our students, and their families who are most in need. That’s just simple economics. According to “Exploring the Impacts of Rising Property Taxes in Changing Neighborhoods” released in January 2023 by the Institute for Housing at DePaul University cited that “property tax increases can disproportionately impact modest-income households, and there are concerns that this is intensified in neighborhoods with rapidly rising house prices.”
Reason #2 - CIPS is Not Using the Right Tools...Yet
Though our teachers and employees are some of the hardest workers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, AND we have a multitude of top-notch applications to assist our students, our Board (collectively) and Administration, though capable, are still in the implementation phase of using all of those aforementioned tools and applications succinctly and in concert with one another to achieve the desired effect. You can put a whole bunch of ingredients in a pot and mix it up, but if the proper amount of each ingredient is not used, like using a recipe, all you get is a big old pile of indigestible mess.
But I do agree, whole-heartedly, that our students need upgraded facilities.
Now that the vote has been floated, it’s time to get to work to ensure that potential funds will be spent more judicially, more efficiently and more effectively than what we, as a Board, has seen in the past.
Don’t forget…the tax increase still needs to be approved by the voters this November.