http://dreambigwestonka.blogspot.com/2011/09/key-piece-of-information-for-all-voters.html
One of the district's replies:
"As we have discussed, the Omnibus Tax Bill that was approved in the special session includes an obscure provision that will change the tax impact of your bond issue.
This provision eliminated the homestead credit, which has reduced property taxes every year on homes with values up to $413,000. In its place, the state changed the calculation of tax capacity on homes with values up to $413,000. The two changes are intended to keep overall taxes on homes in this range of values approximately the same, all else equal.
In terms of the additional taxes associated with a bond issue, this change will reduce the tax impact of the bond issue for lower valued homes and increase the tax impact for other types of property.
Just yesterday afternoon(8/10), we received a file from the Department of Revenue with updated calculations of tax capacity, which allowed us to recalculate the estimated debt service and tax impact schedules for your proposed bond issue. I sent you the revised schedules earlier today. When compared to our previous estimates, the revised figures show slightly lower tax impact for residential homesteads with values of less than $350,000, and slightly higher tax impact for residential homesteads with values above $350,000 and other types of property."
What is even more strange, is my "School District Total," actually went up 11.3%!! Still waiting for a reply on that one, Mr. Borg?! This does not include the cost of the recently passed referendum. Hang onto your hats, folks when you receive your projections for 2013!!!
Good gravy man, how did you lose to a pack of thieves like these? Borg and Botts are so crooked they have to stand on their flat heads in a corner just to wiggle into their pants.
ReplyDeleteWhere is Borg and Botts "moral compass?" What a bunch of lying, crooked thieves. I for one am going to do all I can to expose these buffoons for what they really are. Lying to the taxpayers in district 277!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI voted yes for all 3 questions but couldn't really afford any tax increase. We were led to believe that our property taxes on our $200,000ish home in Mound would be going down because of this change in the law. We were further led to believe this would make the passage of the refferendums a wash in terms of our budget. This week we discovered our property tax in 2012 is going up by 5% before the refferedums are tacked on? This is completely unbelievable as our budget is maxed out. I feel like a fool leaving this post here because we didn't listen to you in the first place but I really need to vent.....
ReplyDeleteNotch exposed these crooks in the Laker today. Wake up Westonka!
ReplyDeleteI was well aware, as were most voters if they were paying attention, that the state legislature was changing the homestead market value credit to a market value exclusion.
ReplyDeleteAs a result of the state's new law, my property taxes went up $56.49 for 2012, or less than $5 a month. How does this change by the state translate into an indictment of the Westonka school district or its superintendent? Simple...it doesn't.
The Westonka School District is nothing more than a pack of thieves. Unfortunately, we have so many idiots in the community that they bought the lies put out by Botts, Borg, Bremer, Bonds and LaTour. The Yes vote will amount to a Big pay raise for Borg and Botts and the rest will be receiving money under the table from Kraus and King.
ReplyDeleteDid you notice that Eric from the Laker didn't have enough balls to list the 16 campaign violations by Borg and the Yes group. I guess a few select few are above the law though.
ReplyDelete$56.49? Do you own a trailer or a box car laying in a ditch?
ReplyDeleteThese snakes lie, cheat and steal to win the election and then they come here to bitch and throw mud? That doesn't take any balls, that's just plain stupid. Is someone's conscience bothering them? What am I saying? These people have no conscience.
Dear November 19, 2011 6:45 PM,
ReplyDeleteDo you really believe what you posted: “I was well aware, as were most voters if they were paying attention, that the state legislature was changing the homestead market value credit to a market value exclusion.”?? I would venture a guess that fewer than 10% of those among us know today. There are probably members of the legislature who still haven’t figured it out. Further; if you did know about the change, did you know it was going to increase your property tax even before the cost of the bonds is tacked on? How could you? All we heard from the district and YES was “low, low, low taxes” and how if the change did anything, it would lower taxes. Funny how they didn’t buy a full page ad in the The Laker so people could make up their own minds?
Your assertion is also contrary to the position YES; and others, took on our mailer. If most voters were paying attention and were as informed as you, why all the concern over them being so dumb they couldn’t figure out the {TOTAL} cost of the bonds on that mailer was over the term of the issue and not yearly???????
LnL does have a point. It is disingenuous of you to simply post a figure without any other detail. By what percent did your property tax increase? Perhaps you are a liberal and you never met a tax you didn’t like, but most of the people I have talked to, saw their bills go up 4% to 8% and are mad as hell. If $56.49 is chicken feed to a high roller such as you, feel free to pop a check for a like amount in the mail to me today!
Since you are so informed, what are your thoughts on the district losing enrollment to the tune of 399 students since 1996?
What are your informed thoughts on handing $30,000,000 to a board with members who have pursued strategic foreclosure to avoid their own personal debts? I believe the thingy they signed at closing is called a “promissory note” for a reason………
http://dreambigwestonka.blogspot.com/2011/11/cost-of-student-drain.html
http://www.theexecmom.com/2011/03/strategic-foreclosures.html
http://www.collegeanswer.com/financing/content/f_learn_note.jsp
-Yes, I really believe what I posted.
ReplyDelete-No, nobody on either side ever claimed that if the "change did anything, it would lower taxes."
-Yes, why didn't you buy a full page ad in the Laker explaining your position on this?
-No, I don't live in a trailer or in a ditch, but thank you for your concern Mr. Lock n Load. I'm thankful to be living in a home in Orono with a market value of $260K. The state legislature has decided that my property taxes will increase 2.4% in 2012.
-Yes, enrollment losses are of concern. You're focusing on them is about turning it around and not about slinging mud, right?
-My informed thoughts wonder if you're really going to presume that you know better how to handle someone else's personal financial matters.
Then you are a pretty naive individual, 3:18 PM! Oh, [we] didn't take out a full page ad in the Laker because we didn't have the teachers' union and the school district carrying the mail for [us]!
ReplyDeleteNot much I can do about enrollment losses now. The voters have decided a cumulative 30 years of Botts, Borg and Bremer weren't enough to get it fixed so they get more time! Maybe David Bond will get it figured out! I'm sure everyone knows it is happening if they are as informed as you.............
Your response above shows that you have no interest in an exchange of factual information or in accurate, civil discourse. That's unfortunate.
ReplyDelete"Likely to be much smaller in your district than the state average?" What was the "state average?" 17%?? lol
ReplyDeleteDon,
1. 2011 Tax Bill. 2011 Tax Bill (elimination of the Market Value Homestead Credit and creation of a new “homestead market value exclusion” for calculation of net tax capacity) was passed in the special session in July. What I have communicated is a forward from Joel Sutter, Executive Vice President with Ehlers, on how this bill impacted the proposed levy and bond questions. I shared with our board that "When compared to our previous estimates, the revised figures show slightly lower tax impact of residential homesteads with values of less than $350,000, and slightly higher tax impact for residential homesteads with values above $350,000 and other types of property."
Our tax chart for the proposed bond and levy represent the changes in the bill. This chart is located on our website.
As far as how this bill impacts Westonka residents outside of the proposed levy and bond questions would be difficult to estimate. Joel said "The exact impact on any property owner will depend on a number of factors, including the type of property ,the market value of the property, the change in market value from 2010 to 2011, and decisions made on tax levies by each taxing unit (school district, city, county, and special taxing jurisdictions). The impact on taxes in the Westonka School District, however, is likely to be much less than in other school districts and other parts of the state. While the state total NTC decreased by 4.73% because of the shift, the NTC of your district decreased by only 1.76%, since lower valued homes make up a relatively small percentage of your district’s tax capacity. So tax rate increases (and increases in tax bills for individual properties) are likely to be much smaller in your district than the state average."
2. Print out of Donations. Megan, our Finance Director, is shared with another district and is doing their audit at this time. She will have this printed out and ready for you to pick up by the beginning of next week. We will email you when this is ready.
Kevin
Kevin Borg, Superintendent
Westonka Public Schools
5901 Sunnyfield Road
Minnetrista, MN 55364
952-491-8001
www.westonka.k12.mn.us
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