Letter to The Editor 4/19/2021

Frivolous levy
To the editor: Once again the Woodmore school board has devised a plan to extract more money from the tax-paying property owner.
The two levies on the May 4 ballot are defined emergency levies and not general fund levies and by combining both emergency levies into one levy, and extending the time for renewal, the school board is counting on the property owner over time to forget the true purpose and amount of each levy. That way, the board can ask for more levies to fund other boondoggle projects such as a school or liberal arts building or some other pie-in-the-sky request.
We already are saddled with a 37-year school bond levy and two emergency levies that if combined will open the door for more fiscal abuse while avoiding transparency.
Currently, these emergency levies had a finite duration and dollar amount for a specific reason and that is the way it should remain.
The 5-year timeframe allows the property tax-paying owner some authority over how long they will allow themselves to be taxed and input on how the tax is to be spent through his or her vote.
In my opinion, this levy consolidation is an egregious attempt by the school board to vacate the control of the tax payer on the length and amount of each levy.
I urge all Woodmore voters to vote no on this frivolous levy request.
Alan Snyder
Elmore