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Fred Sokol Editorial > 5-27-2006

 

ROCKY RIVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN FINANCIAL TROUBLE?

Dear Rocky River Resident,

Rocky River School ‘tax income’ is down.  School expenses up.  As ‘taxpayer homeowners’ again get hosed!  Sound familiar?  In Westlife, 5/24/06 “Residents question tax re-evaluation.” 

 

Below, I have a solution to the Rocky River City School District 'financial problem'. 

 

Rocky River City Hall and Rocky River City Schools should act on my solution. 

 

If not - I will seek to limit Rocky River City Government and Rocky River City School's spending, taxes and surplus myself.  Yet first ...

WHAT IS THE CURRENT ‘FINANCIAL STATE’ OF ROCKY RIVER CITY SCHOOLS? 

  1. Westgate Shopping Center will never be the ‘tax source’ for schools - it once was.  Also, the Rocky River City School District is an ‘ever bigger’ money monster! 

 

  1. To raise more money.  Rocky River City School District decided to ‘unfairly’ re-appraise purchased homes in Rocky River.  Then level an even higher tax rate on these new homeowners.  Welcome to River?

 

  1. The schools wrong headed targeting of ‘new homeowners’ in Rocky River - by raising their taxes - will scare potential ‘new taxpayer homeowners’ away.  Not entice taxpayers to move to River! 

HOW DOES THE ROCKY RIVER CITY SCHOOLS SOLVE THEIR FINANCIAL PROBLEM?

  1. Immediately stop targeting new ‘taxpayer homeowners’ in Rocky River by raising their taxes!  Encourage and welcome new Rocky River homeowners – not punish them.

 

  1. Rocky River must encourage home buying of ‘vacant homes’ in Rocky River.  There are enough of them.  Purchased homes generate taxes – vacant houses don’t.

 

  1. Rocky River must make sure people don’t purchase Rocky River property by $200 to $300 thousand dollars below the property’s ‘appraised tax value’ amount.  Then allow the buyer to have the ‘appraised tax value’ and the taxes paid for the property dropped – because of the lower price paid for the property.  Schools and city will get less tax money if this happens.  -  The schools should have the names of these buyers who buy ‘way, way under’ asking price and then who pay less in taxes - released to the public.  River must at least maintain the current tax rate of homes.  - I will personally look into this point myself!

 

  1. Next, cut school expenses by 10% across the board – to show good faith with taxpayers.

 

  1. Have a city-wide town hall meeting.  Have the Rocky River School Superintendent and Elected School Board lay out to the public - school expenses and income.

 

  1. Let the people decide where to cut further expenses.  To reach and maintain a balanced budget.  So Rocky River public schools will not ‘financially sink’.

 

  1. Then ‘implement the fiscal direction’ the people want the schools to take.

FRED SOKOL'S MESSAGE - TO THE ROCKY RIVER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND TO THE ROCKY RIVER CITY GOVERNMENT!

" If school officials don’t try to solve this financial problem with taxpayers – and school officials just return to voters for an additional levy before 2008. 

 

I have - and will circulate and place - on the Rocky River Ballot a ‘charter addition’.   “That limits Rocky River City Government and Rocky River City School District - spending, taxes and surplus.” (click on and see my proposal)

 

Thank You!   

 

Fred I. Sokol, Resident – Rocky River, Ohio www.rockyriverfred.com + scrdhrt2@cox.net + 440-521-5452

 

CC: Rocky River City School District, Rocky River City Council, WestLife Newspaper, Sun Herald Newspaper, Plain Dealer Newspaper. Westlaker Times, Fred Sokol’s Weekly E-Mail Recipients + www.rockyriverfred.com