Since my show nearly a week ago with Poland Superintendent Hockenberry we have learned Mahoning County Auditor Ralphy Meachum is sounding the alarm. Meachum is telegraphing that the property re-evaluation, which takes place every six years, is likely to grow the value of your homestead by 25 per cent.
Translation, any new tax will be levied at the new value. Your $ 100,000 home in Mahoning County will now be taxed as its new value of $ 125 Thousand. Yes, of course. this is good news if you are flipping homes. If you're staying put it means you will have to pay more on new taxes should they be levied?
Why does this matter? If approved the Police and Fire Levy in Poland will cost taxpayers $ 100 dollars per $ 100 thousand value of their property. In the case of the new value $ 125 dollars per year extra. Normally this would not be an issue. Taxpayers willingly pay for Police and Fire.
Except the Poland school board is considering the construction of all new schools for $ 109 million which would necessitate a new tax levy of approximately $ 475 dollars per $ 100,000 dollars in valuation. By the way the assessment would take 37 years to retire.
A quick review is in order. Your $ 100 thousand dollar home would go up $ 100 for police and fire. Your $ 100 thousand dollar home would go up $ 475 dollars for new schools. That is $ 575 dollars for each $ 100,000 dollars of property value in addition to what you are already paying.
I based this on current value, but it's likely to go higher by $ 25 percent. Conservatively, both issues becoming law in 2024 would likely add $ 650 for each $ 100 thousand dollars in value for the next 37 years. I give you this number, which could be off by a few bucks. considering the teachers will not ask for a raise over the next 37 years. So that's that.
Now let's look at reality in Poland schools. The annual 8th grade trip to Washington DC is coming up in Poland. Please read the Nick Sandman news reports before you head off for historic Washington. Please don't even mention that your older brother attends Poland Seminary, lest anyone think you might be affiliated with religion and your brother may become a priest.
Just a heads up, a young group from Cincinnati wore school hats to keep track of each other in DC and they caused quite a stir because they promoted life on their hats. The museum curators were highly incensed and may have suffered irreversible trauma.
I digress from the point, I hope the eighth graders have a great time in Washington DC. To bring home the ridiculousness of a huge tax bill being considered by the Poland school board consider this anomaly. Multiple students in the eighth grade will be left behind because their parents cannot afford the $ 500 price tag of the trip.
Perhaps a future trip could include fund raising to prevent future disappointments, but the facts emphasis that this is not the right time to ask taxpayers for a huge levy payable over the next 37 years.
Dan Rivers
570 WKBN