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ASPEN — The Aspen School District will begin polling voters next week about whether it should put a property tax-related question on the November ballot.
“We have not made a decision, but we are one step closer to deciding whether to pursue a a ballot question,” said Aspen School Board President Charla Belinski, during a debate on the issue at Monday night's board meeting. “It is definitely a complex issue; this is a very important decision we are facing here.”
District officials are considering asking local voters to approve a $1.2 million annual property tax increase to compensate for state-mandated budget cuts, as well as to offset anticipated reductions in property tax revenue due to falling property values. Without the additional tax revenue, the district is projecting a funding shortfall of approximately $1.6 million for the 2011-12 school year.
“This is a referendum on education in Aspen — what is best for our kids,” said school board treasurer Bob Glah. “With a ballot question, voters can make that decision. It is an opportunity for them to speak their piece at the polls.”
Still, board members agreed the current economic climate is not necessarily the best in which to ask voters for a mill levy override, no matter the size of the tax increase it would result in; if voters approved a $1.2 million mill levy override, property owners would pay an additional $14 per year for every $500,000 of market value.
School board members on Monday also grappled with the complexities of posing a tax question when so many unknowns — How many other local tax-related questions will be on the November ballot? Will voters approve state measures Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101, which will all affect the school district's bottom line? — remain, and wondered if they should hold out another year before going to voters.
District Finance Director Kate Fuentes, who helped whittle hundreds of thousands of dollars out of the current school budget, encouraged them to move forward now.
“The low-hanging fruit was plucked this year,” she said, calling the recent budget cycle “painful” and adding that future cuts would likely have to come at the expense of teacher salaries, class sizes and school programming.
In the end, all five school board members said they understood Fuentes' logic and agreed that there was no harm in polling the public and taking their cue from those results.
“If we don't ask, we won't know,” Glah summarized.
Denver-based RBC Capital Markets will conduct the 12-minute survey, which will include a sample of 300 residents representative of the voting pool. The school district has worked with RBC in past election campaigns; RBC is also currently working with Aspen Valley Hospital on its potential bond question in the upcoming election.
“Our intent is not to win the poll,” said Terry Casey, managing director of RBC, who will draft the poll questions with input and approval from the school board and superintendent. “Our intent is for the poll to provide clear information to help base your decision on.”
Casey said results from his firm's poll will be available for the school district board by its next meeting on Aug. 24. The board will likely make a decision as to whether to pursue a ballot question at that meeting, as the deadline to certify ballot language is Sept. 3.
“We have not made a decision, but we are one step closer to deciding whether to pursue a a ballot question,” said Aspen School Board President Charla Belinski, during a debate on the issue at Monday night's board meeting. “It is definitely a complex issue; this is a very important decision we are facing here.”
District officials are considering asking local voters to approve a $1.2 million annual property tax increase to compensate for state-mandated budget cuts, as well as to offset anticipated reductions in property tax revenue due to falling property values. Without the additional tax revenue, the district is projecting a funding shortfall of approximately $1.6 million for the 2011-12 school year.
“This is a referendum on education in Aspen — what is best for our kids,” said school board treasurer Bob Glah. “With a ballot question, voters can make that decision. It is an opportunity for them to speak their piece at the polls.”
Still, board members agreed the current economic climate is not necessarily the best in which to ask voters for a mill levy override, no matter the size of the tax increase it would result in; if voters approved a $1.2 million mill levy override, property owners would pay an additional $14 per year for every $500,000 of market value.
School board members on Monday also grappled with the complexities of posing a tax question when so many unknowns — How many other local tax-related questions will be on the November ballot? Will voters approve state measures Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101, which will all affect the school district's bottom line? — remain, and wondered if they should hold out another year before going to voters.
District Finance Director Kate Fuentes, who helped whittle hundreds of thousands of dollars out of the current school budget, encouraged them to move forward now.
“The low-hanging fruit was plucked this year,” she said, calling the recent budget cycle “painful” and adding that future cuts would likely have to come at the expense of teacher salaries, class sizes and school programming.
In the end, all five school board members said they understood Fuentes' logic and agreed that there was no harm in polling the public and taking their cue from those results.
“If we don't ask, we won't know,” Glah summarized.
Denver-based RBC Capital Markets will conduct the 12-minute survey, which will include a sample of 300 residents representative of the voting pool. The school district has worked with RBC in past election campaigns; RBC is also currently working with Aspen Valley Hospital on its potential bond question in the upcoming election.
“Our intent is not to win the poll,” said Terry Casey, managing director of RBC, who will draft the poll questions with input and approval from the school board and superintendent. “Our intent is for the poll to provide clear information to help base your decision on.”
Casey said results from his firm's poll will be available for the school district board by its next meeting on Aug. 24. The board will likely make a decision as to whether to pursue a ballot question at that meeting, as the deadline to certify ballot language is Sept. 3.
School housing hits minor hiccup
The Aspen School District learned Monday night that the move-in date for its Owl Creek Grove affordable housing project has been pushed back by a few weeks. The Snowmass Village project was to be complete in early September; move-in dates are now scheduled for Sept. 18-19.Mike O'Connor, principal with owner representative Resort Opportunities and Investments, said the delay was caused by problems with the waterline plan and the trickle-down effect of work needed to fix the problem, as well as restrictions by the town of Snowmass Village on when that work could occur due to road closures. O'Connor further told the school board that the waterline issues created an additional $88,2443 in expenses.
And a trickle-down effect from these unexpected expenses, according to school board members, is that it will unlikely be able to contribute funds to the town of Snowmass Village for a nearby bus stop.
O'Connor raised the issue at Monday's school board meeting because the issue is now up for discussion at the Aug. 16 Snowmass Town Council meeting.
“Our position is the same as it was when we started this process: If we had funds remaining, we would talk about a contribution,” said Aspen School Board President Charla Belinski.
jmcgovern@aspentimes.com
