There are more than a dozen issues on the Nov. 5 ballot seeking voter approval. Every one asks Richland County residents for taxpayer dollars. As with any family or business investment, we as voters must carefully consider the relationship between cost and benefit. We have to ask ourselves what plan has been presented for the tax revenue? What benefit will the money create? What is lost if the requested tax dollars are denied?
It’s fairly simple, really. Taxes should be justified as necessary to maintain and enhance a community’s services to its residents. Where there is fat, we should trim. But before reflexively rejecting taxes, voters need to take a long look lest they skip the fat and cut muscle and bone.
What makes the staff at Richland Source qualified to endorse an issue or candidate? Only that, in addition to being county residents, we’ve done our homework. We’ve attended many board of education meetings, interviewed a good number of people about the issues, and seen first-hand the effects of the tax dollars (or lack of them) on the Richland County community. And with our homework done, we have outlined some key issues and offered recommendations on how to vote.
Some of the issues are asking for replacements, some for additional taxes, and the majority are seeking renewals. A renewal levy is based on the original tax valuations and means that taxes will be maintained, but not increased. A replacement levy is based on current tax valuations and may increase taxes if property values have increased. An additional levy will increase taxes and generate additional revenue based upon the millage requested.
Richland County Senior Services is seeking a renewal levy. This levy provides valuable services to senior citizens through the District Area 5 Area Agency on Aging. We, the voters, already agreed in previous elections that we value those services and Richland Source believes that renewing the levy is the right thing to do.
The Richland County Health District is also seeking a renewal, another tax we’ve previously agreed to; and in the Richland Source editorial department, we constantly hear about the work they’re doing. The health department offers flu shots, health warnings, services, and information that keep us ticking. This one is another easy decision, as the reduction or elimination of these services would be immediately noticed with no discernable benefit in cutting them.
The same logic applies to the Richland County Children Services, which is asking for a replacement levy. That’s where we have a little inside perspective. In the newsroom we listen to emergency scanners. Just last week we heard an exchange between a dispatcher and police officer regarding two children in a home where drugs were present. We hear the domestic violence calls. Children Services is the agency that rescues children who cannot rescue themselves. Richland Source endorses the passage of this levy.
The City of Shelby is seeking an additional .2 percent income tax to pay for street and sidewalk maintenance. This levy, which expired in 2011 and has been voted down in the previous two attempts, provides valuable funding necessary to maintain city roadways and sidewalks. But above that, in passing the levy, the citizens of Shelby make the city eligible for the ODOT Urban Paving program. This state-funded program would provide as much as 80 percent of the dollars necessary for the maintenance of state routes 39, 61, and 96, for which the city is responsible. The Urban Paving program is not mandated and could be cut at anytime, leaving the city responsible for all of the financial burden. Now is the time for residents to make an investment in themselves and their city’s infrastructure.
The City of Mansfield is seeking additional taxation. All city residents have, by now, experienced the effect of drastic belt-tightening in city government over the past few years. Reduced leaf pickup comes to mind as the trees begin to shed their summer clothes. A great deal of fat has been trimmed out of city government, and we think that is a good thing; but we are down to muscle now and Richland Source recommends passage of this levy. To their credit, the city has spelled out where that additional money will go: safety services, parks maintenance, blight reduction, and streetlights. If Mansfield is to continue on a path toward redevelopment and prosperity, we need to invest in ourselves. This levy makes sense.
Finally, Mansfield City Schools is seeking an additional levy, one that would replace a renewal rejected by voters in a previous election. This levy, perhaps more than any of the others, is absolutely critical. Its passage would minimize cuts in student services and greatly reduce the chance of fiscal emergency and state control. Student and school performance data supports the passage of the levy, as well. For example, primary school teachers have improved the performance of their students by as much as twenty five points since 2004. This year’s class of third graders now meets state performance targets in reading and math and possesses critical learning skills that will propel them forward into their futures. The foundation of a great school district has been built, and it has been hard won. Now is not the time to pull back our support from these educators and students. Richland Source urges you to vote for the Mansfield City Schools.
There are many other issues on the ballot that we have not outlined here. We urge our readers to consider them all carefully, before voting. But most of all – regardless of how you vote – we urge you to make your voice heard and vote on November 5.
