Sinclair Community College trustees are getting an A+ for chutzpah. While diverting their attention and focus from Montgomery County in a scramble to provide services to Warren County- they are now asking Montgomery County voters for a 28% levy increase- while Warren County pays nothing.
This levy will be on the same ballot as the Dayton Public Schools levy and the Metroparks levy. If you think voters have levy burnout and remorse now- wait till March.
Sinclair is chartered and funded by Montgomery County- it’s time the Trustees learn to represent their shareholders- and make sure our dividends come back to us- and not get diverted to Warren County. If they want this levy to pass, I recommend they sell Warren County the assets, and walk away from their expansion plans. Otherwise, they will find that Montgomery County voters aren’t going to keep giving them a hall pass at the voting booth.
Sinclair to ask voters for levy increase – Dayton Business Journal: [1]
The Sinclair Community College Board of Trustees voted in a special session Friday to ask Montgomery County voters this March to approve a 28 percent levy increase during the next decade to keep tuition costs at bay and offer more career programs.The new 3.2 mill levy would generate $31 million a year and cost owners of a $100,000 home $98 in taxes per year. The college’s current 2.5 mill rate, set to expire in December 2008, would cost owners of $100,000 homes $76.56 in taxes that would have produced about $24 million in revenue.
The nine board members representing Montgomery County voted unanimously for the increase. By law, Sinclair’s two Warren County trustees did not participate in the vote.
What do you think?
Keep on keepin’ on Montgomery County….
It is bad enough that Dayton is in the situation it has been in. With the increases in County taxes, financial support from the suburbs will continue to move north, south, east, and west as well. What in the hell are some of these people thinking? It was bad enough to have sympathy voting at its best shine this November. This levy will end up the same as the uneducated voters will continue to prevail. People thinking with their hearts and not their brains. Only words you hear are “school”, “education”, “people in need”, “elderly”, “children”…..Voters need to start holding their government bodies accountable for funds and their mismanagement of money instead of rubber stamping yes votes every time they see a ballot, as well as educating themselves on issues and the guts of them. Organized and educated opposition come election time is the key.
Help me out……. the difference is $21.44 per 100K home…….. are not most houses in Dayton valued at 75k, therefore the difference being $16.04/year or $1.33 per month….. or $.30 a week????? If we vote NO does it all go away? Ahhh, there’s the rub…….
People always want/need money, and maybe Warren Co. needs to participate, but what is the beef with these numbers……they don’t seem bad to me. I rather spend money on something I know people want to be participating (ie Sinclair) then spend a buck to have kids who don’t care about life or school (ie DPS) b/c they have such RESPONSIBLE parents.
The point is that we SPEND/WASTE a lot of money……. at the very least most of the students WANT to be there, want to have better jobs, etc…….. Up mine to three times that, I am in………
It is like we OVER ORDERED something for our clients, if you know what I mean
Gene, You are missing the point. The amount of increase won’t break my bank. I work hard and make good money for a reason. I work hard and play hard and my hard earned money I can waste on whatever pleasures I want. I don’t work hard to give charity to governments that can’t figure out their finances. I went off to a private school for 4 years, had athletic scholarship and paid the rest. I worked hard to pay off the loans and didn’t ask for a levy to support my debt. Where do you draw the line? Your home average doesn’t cut it for me. Tack on Issue 20, and whatever else the idiots that look at levies want to increase…..Get my drift? If you look at tax increases, those in a 250,000 home end up paying a few hundred dollars more a year for things that don’t benefit them. Increases year in and year out mean in 10 years or so I am paying a few grand more a year for nothing. The people that preach that everyone should give up something for someone else need to look at the people that don’t appreciate what they are already getting for nothing. Take your 30 cents a week, exponentially multiply that by 10 over the course of the next few years and justify that. You probably also like the fact that our geniuses at DDN put the headline as a “replacement”, not as an increase. Sugarcoat it all you want….my property values have gone up since the last levy…..That in combination with an increase is another case of the burbs supporting the degrading property values of Dayton. How about lets keep raising taxes in Montgomery County so the suburbs can support the failing inner-city. The section 8 non-tax paying citizen is quick to vote for something that they don’t have to pay for. Why don’t we leave the voting of property tax based issues up to the property owners of Montgomery County….That ought to be interesting. This sounds like a great plan till the suburbs pack their bags… Read more »
Sales tax… last time I looked the State of Ohio was still in violation with the way schools are funded.
Abolish property taxes, abolish income taxes. Tax people on what they buy not what they work their ass off to have and keep, it’s fair and equatible… America has become a consumer economy.
If Warren County wants Sinclair to provide educational services to their residents they need to antie up.
Sinclair has provided a much needed service to our area, and they deserve an increase. They at least produce better people, rather than the regular freakin’ handouts we give people for having too many kids. Cut their butts off.
Folks, you’re all making the argument for regionalization and revenue sharing. All I’m hearing is “us” vs “them.” This is what we need to get away from. This might require a change at the statehouse, but Sinclair is an asset for the region, not just for Montgomery County or the inner city. I agree that the good citizens of Montgomery County should not have to bear the burden for what’s going on in Warren County, and it’s my understanding this levy is not applicable to that; however, we do need to quit bickering and work together as a region.
How about no increase in our tax then- plain and simple. Either have Warren County contribute- or make do like the rest of us.
Dayton Public Schools need a levy passed. Having these two at the same time isn’t fair.
Sinclair has a huge cash reserve, no debt and booming enrollment. No dice.
Sinclair does provide very affordable education for the region which is a great thing. Even without an increase, you can’t begin to tell me Sinclair can’t continue to be affordable. Unfortunately their increases need to be comparable to everyone else’s without the help from taxpayers.
Currently they are at 45.00 a credit hour. To anyone that went to college somewhere other than Sinclair….Even with a small increase it is still very affordable comparatively. I would have loved to have spent 100.00 an hour, let alone 45.00. Anyone serious about furthering their education has to be willing to make some personal sacrifices to pay for an education. Even a go getter taking 20 hours is coming in a less than a grand. That is a benefit in itself.
Again, for a general purpose countywide service like Sinclair, why not an income tax vs property tax? And if Sinclair has a branch campus in Warren, why are Warren taxpayers not involved.
How about no increase either way? It is not my purpose to help fund higher education while getting hit with more and more taxes. Nothing is for free. Anyone who participates in this blog who has attended college and had to pay for it out of their own pocket can fully understand. How about we worry about our failing public education systems before we worry about funding colleges and universities. As I stated before, Sinclair is a very affordable institution. I don’t know how many hours are part of their degree programs, but paying only a few grand for a 2 year degree should be appreciated. We currently have tax increases across the board for things that aren’t 100 percent necessary for the function of our society. When are people going to wake up and see that you need to work for what you have? If someone wants to go to Sinclair, then pay up or get a loan.
Necessities are what needs to be on levies, as in our local K-12 institutions. If you want to go to college for free or for a reduced rate….get a scholarship. If not, get a loan and pay for your schooling like everyone else.
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then why not an income tax for K-12? That would solve a number of issues:
1. People on fixed incomes seeing an increase in taxes without consideration of ability to pay (the lack of “progessivity” in property tax vs income tax)
2. Free-riders. People can benefit from the service without paying for it via taxes (this would be renters).
With an income tax everyone pays fora common service, but pays based on ability to pay. Seems to be the fairest approach.
Another way to address the free-rider issue is to do what California did, and establish a property qualification for voting on property tax levys. Only people who own property could vote for property tax increases.
Yet this still doesn’t solve the problem of people benefiting from a service who don’t pay for it.
Careful Jeff, the next exception folks will want is an exemption from school taxes if they don’t have any kids!
David, I didnt realize that Warren county wasnt contributing until your blog. It does make sense for them to contribute since there is now a Mason campus. Montgomery county should pay for the Englewood, Huber Heights, and downtown campuses and then Warren should pay for their own or else their tuition be higher.
I know they are commmunicating with UC to have a articulation agreement set up like SInclair does with Wright State. I think it will encourage more people in Warren and other surrounding counties so it should be increased for that reason as well.
Lynn- glad you now know. If more people in Montgomery County knew- they wouldn’t vote for Sinclair. If Sinclair didn’t make this boneheaded move, I’d be 100% in favor of anything they asked for- even if they are sitting on 120 million in reserves and are debt free (unlike any other school in Ohio).
The voters need to know what they are being asked to do- support Warren County with our tax dollars.
The following quote was taken from mason.sinclair.edu:
“By state law, no funds derived from Sinclair’s Montgomery County property tax levy are expended in Sinclair’s Warren County operations.”
I live in Warren County and attend the downtown Sinclair campus. The result of the levy has no effect on me. The $45 per hour tuition mentioned is only for Montgomery County residents. I pay about $75 per hour. I’m still getting a bargain on my education, even though I will probably go deep in debt when I go to a four-year school.
Even if I attend the Warren County campus, I still pay the same tuition. This levy makes it possible for Montgomery County residents to receive cheaper tuition.
I know you love your money very much, but you should really research your facts before you go spreading “Truth.”
Marvin-
I’m sorry- you miss the point. While Sinclair may not be “spending” and direct dollars on Warren County- they are investing the leadership’s time. Dr. Johnson had to spend a considerable amount of time making this happen. It’s called taking your eye off the prize- and it’s costing Montgomery County residents.
It’s also not much better than Clark State building a brand new building right across the street from Wright State. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. Growth in Warren County has cost Montgomery County in lots of ways, including stealing our population. Warren County is the result of sprawl. One day when we need farmland to grow food, the little stupid subdivisions that are on cornfields won’t look like such a good idea.