The OPRF school board needs to vote No on the debt certificate proposal.
1. Debt certificates are the wrong direction to pay for capital improvements. Using this “back door” approach will cost us $6.4 million in interest over 20 years to borrow $20 million. We already have that in the reserve account, which is bloated, so use that instead.
2. The 2022 tax levy of the full 5% needs to be rolled back because it sets the standard for future taxes. The board needs to listen to the taxpayers in District 200 rather than the financial managers who are advising them. The managers look good rolling up large amounts of funds in various accounts and an already-bloated fund balance. But they are crushing their taxpayers with heavier tax burdens than they actually need for operations and improvements.
D200 is striving for racial equity. How can you have that when you levy crushing tax burdens on property owners living in Oak Park and River Forest? You cannot. Over-taxation causes high rents and limits who can afford to live in our villages.
Personal example: As people in our 70s, we wonder how long we can continue to pay our taxes on our home. And my nephew, 25, decided against buying in Oak Park and instead just closed on a home in Elmwood Park. He loves Oak Park, but decided he simply cannot afford the taxes here.
How we tax and spend has a great deal to do with how many lower- and middle-class people can live here.
Charles Chauncey Wells
Oak Park