A question for voters...
As a result of last night's election I have a couple of unanswered questions.
This sales tax, a mere one-eighth of one cent, would have meant 12-cents on a $100. At that point, the city's sales tax would have been maxed out.
In April, the same voters passed a $14 million bond issue for a new school gymnasium. less than half of the bond issue was to do with repairing classrooms and restructuring schools.
The school bond issue was a renewing of an already in place tax. Had the gymnasium been voted down, voters would have received a considerable tax CUT.
The current school tax debt service levy is 57 cents per $100 of assessed value. Had the school bond issue failed to pass, it would have resulted in a significant tax cut to residents of the city of Dexter. A cut many times larger than this sales tax increase would have increased.
In my personal opinion, and I want to make it clear that I do not vote in Dexter, the new police station failing is a major hit to the community.
This city has grown by leaps and bounds since the jail was built in 1974 and is going to continue to grow. There can only be so many officers in such a small station and in all honesty, the increased space would have resulted in better use of city time.
Officers wouldn't have to wait for computers to become available to finish their nightly paperwork and people wouldn't be forced out of their offices so that a subject could be questioned.
All I want to know, is how is a fancy gymnasium more important than public safety? I'm not meaning to be ugly, I just don't understand the reasoning. I hate taxes too. We all do. HOWEVER, we can't expect better protection from police and fire or even cleaner water when no one wants to foot the bill.
For instance, the school bond issue won't cost me a dime because I don't live in the city of Dexter. Had the sales tax passed, I would have been paying for it just like everyone else who commutes to work in Dexter. These people expect police protection, too. How would it feel if they turned us down in our time of need?
All I'm saying is that we expect their help, and they ask for ours. They put their lives on the line for you and you don't for them.
These are just my thoughts. I'm just curious of how everyone else feels.
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Everyone has a right to choose and if they don't want the police station (as they made clear) then that's fine. It's why we vote. We all have a right to our own opinion, but I haven't heard a reason yet other than about "evil taxes." I don't automatically vote against anything based on the fact that its a tax. People should look into it. Read about it and determine for themselves if there is a need.
Someone yesterday asked for a breakdown of the Dexter sales tax and here it is.
1.875 City tax
4.225 State tax
1.000 County tax
___
7.100 total
The jail tax would have been .125 of one cent. Not 12 and a half cents like it looks, but one-eighth of a single penny. If I'm not mistaken that would have capped the city's sales tax to where it could not rise any farther than 2 cents.
I'll see what I can do about a breakdown of the city's portion. When I called the girl who would know the answer was out of the office, but Ill keep trying.
I had planned to stay out of this, but Tim said "Then produce the records. I'm still waiting." I'm just passing this along. I'm not passing judgment on this or anything. I'm just putting out what I found.