News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
community debate
Sisters citizens are weighing in on the question of the final price tag for a new Sisters High School.
School board members report calls from constituents split between those who insist the voters gave them a $20.5 million budget and anything beyond that should be rebated and those who want $1.9 million in interest money put into the construction project.
Some of those citizens turned out for a Saturday, October 13, board meeting.
Mike Mehring reminded the board that voters earlier rejected a $22 million bond and argued that the credibility of the board is at stake in making good on promises to be frugal and return extra money to voters.
"I think we expect the school board to live up to what they said," Mehring said.
Mehring took exception to School superintendent Steve Swisher's characterization of the interest as each $1 million representing 6 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation to the taxpayer.
Mehring said that the money, though small, is real.
"What we're forgetting about in this community are a number of people on a fixed income who are retirees," Mehring said. Some of them are facing increased bills such as new sewer fees and declining income as interest rates drop.
Mehring said that property tax bills include money for school operations, current school bonds, money for SOAR, a sheriff's levy, money for the county fairgrounds, and many other assessments.
"It's the cumulative effect that's killing people," he said.
But Mehring's point of view was countered by several others who urged the board to use interest money Û as other schools have done Û to build the best facility possible.
"If you want to leave a legacy... leave a legacy of building a jewel of a school," said Paul Bennett. "You're not asking any more money from them (taxpayers), so nothing more is coming out of their pocket."
T.W. Scannell argued that the board needs to use the interest just to make up for inflation.
"The only way we can keep the buying power of this money (approved in 2001) is to harvest the interest," he said. "By peeling this interest away, we're not building the school you were talking about."
Board member Steve Keeton responded that the district will receive bids this spring that will lock in prices for construction in 2003, minimizing the degradation of value.
The board ultimately sidestepped any decision about what to do with the interest. Board Chair Heather Wester remains convinced that "it's not ours to use." She said she wants it held and returned at the end of the project.
A 3-2 decision to direct architects to design a $20 million school holds $1 million of interest money in a contingency fund (see story, page 1).
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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