A frequent survey of local civic, business and government leaders taken on various matters facing the city, known as the Power Poll, and published by the Times Free Press, favors a property tax hike to assist local schools.
That 73% of the 81 survey respondents said taxes should be increased is not surprising. They understand that schools here have not had the resources they needed to offer the best education to all students and that teacher salaries locally are less than those in many counties surrounding Hamilton County and especially across the state line in Georgia.
Additionally, they comprehend from their own workplaces that more high school graduates must be prepared to seek some sort of post-secondary degree, certification or training in order to qualify for many of the family-wage jobs being offered locally today.
However, it is interesting to note that only 33% of respondents favor a tax increase between 41 and 50 cents per $100 of assessed property value, the amount that has been floated that Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger will request in his budget presentation on June 5.
Another 36% believe the increase should be somewhere between 11 cents and 40 cents per $100 of assessed value. Only 5% suggested the increase should be 10 cents or less, and about 26% did not believe there should be a tax increase.
This tells us that many of those who understand the need are not sure the full amount being asked by the school district - $34 million above expected revenue - is necessary.
Tom Decosimo, managing principal of Decosimo Corporate Finance, said he believes the district budget has "a lot of fluff" and allows the district "to continue with the inefficiencies by masking [them] with a tax increase."
Such inefficiencies may be highlighted by the revelation in the coming months of a requested school facilities report, which is likely to show the district has way too many schools for the students it serves.
County Commissioner Chester Bankston, a former school board member, also has not been convinced. The district, he said at a recent community meeting, is not a good steward of taxpayers' money.
We have said before we believe the school district has made its case for more funding. We also believe it has found a leader in Dr. Bryan Johnson who can move the district forward and who also understands that the public expects to see improvement for the additional dollars it is asked to invest.
But we understand such an increase is not so easily affordable for those making considerably less money than those on the Power Poll, many even with academic degrees, and for those on fixed incomes. We'll be curious to see if the County Commission hears their voices when they vote on whatever is proposed, likely in late June.