Marjorie Rolland wrote:
> TIF financing does not reduce the total dollars available for schools.
> The total stays the same -- the split between the amount received from
> local property tax dollars and the amount recieved from state aid
> changes. Put another way -- let's say the school district's revenues
> are $100. And, the state is contributing $60 and local property taxes
> are contributing $40. If the amount of local property tax dollars are
> significantly reduced -- and nothing else chagnes -- the state would
> increase its amount to get to the $100. So, the state contributes $65
> and the local property tax dollars contirube $35 still the total
> available to the district is $100.
My first question is whether this formula will remain the same under
the revised property tax structure when it comes out of the special
session?
Secondly, I don't agree with the logic behind the mathematics
your argument. If you subtract X from Y, then Y will be smaller.
If Y is the overall pool of available tax dollars and X is tax dollars
lost to TIF, then the overall pool is smaller. You avoid acknowledging
this by introducing a third variable Z, a local pool of tax dollars. You
claim that Z is not reduced by X because, a fourth variable W is
added to it by the State when X is subtracted. But, the fact remains
that if you subtract X from Y, then Y will be smaller. I believe that
what the legislature is currently doing is deciding the magnitude
of these variables and the formula that relates them. I believe that
your argument disguises the fact that there is a real decision that
pits funding the NRP against the Public Schools. Tax revenues
do not appear out of thin air and when you reduce the overall pool
you are going to have rob Peter to save Paul.
I would suggest to those of you lobbying for NRP funding that
you are making an implicit decision to reduce the funding available
for education. It's not that this is an illegitimate choice, but you
should admit what your priorities are.
Who you gonna chose: the NRP or the public schools?
Michael Atherton
Prospect Park
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