LETTER: Doing the math shows higher NOSD referendum tax impact

To Ozaukee Press:

The Northern Ozaukee School District has been very clear about how they intend to spend our money if the April 3 referendum passes, but some facts that result in the actual cost of this referendum being misrepresented have not been disclosed.  

There are two events happening and they are being portrayed as one. Let’s look at the impact on an average taxpayer with a $200,000 home.  

First, there are existing debt payments that will end next year. This is a given. You don’t have to vote on this. This will reduce the mill rate by $1.99 and reduce taxes by $398 per year on a $200,000 home. If there was no referendum, or if the referendum fails, your taxes will go down by $398. 

The $14.95 million referendum would increase the mill rate by $2.36 and cost you $472 per year. If the referendum passes, your taxes will be $472 higher per year. The net of the two events is the 37-cent mill rate, or $74 per year, that the district wants you to believe is the actual cost of the referendum. 

The actual impact of the referendum is $472 per year for the next 20 years. Over the life of the referendum borrowing, that is $9,440 per average taxpayer.

 So, you have two choices: vote no and have taxes go down by $398, or vote yes and taxes go up by $74.

There are nine school districts that have taxing authority in Ozaukee County. The NOSD tax rate is already the third highest of those even before the additional burden of this referendum. NOSD’s tax burden is only exceeded by Port Washington and Grafton, districts that imposed a large burden on their taxpayers with referendums that passed.

We are surrounded by districts with lower school tax burdens in the county, including Mequon, Cedarburg, Random Lake and Cedar Grove-Belgium.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, NOSD already spends $10.8 million per year, which equals $12,964 for each child it educates, which exceeds the state average. Apparently, that is not enough.

If you want to have nearly the highest school tax burden in the county, then I guess a yes vote is in order. However, if this is the first time you have heard any of this and you don’t like the picture it paints, then maybe we need to vote no and start asking our representatives a lot more questions.

Mark Giese

Fredonia