• About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Monday, April 19, 2021
41 °f
Platte
39 ° Tue
40 ° Wed
43 ° Thu
52 ° Fri
The Platte County Landmark Newspaper
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
No Result
View All Result
The Platte County Landmark Newspaper
No Result
View All Result

Vote no on community college question

Landmark Digital Staff by Landmark Digital Staff
March 11, 2021
in Letters to the Editor
Vote no on community college question
19
SHARES
478
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email

EDITOR:

On the April 6 ballot, there will be a question that is deceptive and will secretly raise our taxes. If passed, the Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City will annex the following school districts: Platte County R-3, Kearney R-I, Smithville R-II, Liberty Public Schools, Grain Valley R-IV, Oak Grove R-VI, Harrisonville R-IX, and Raymore-Peculiar R-II school districts.

RelatedNews

Sunshine antics at Parkville

Keeping the public informed

The local democratic process

The ballot language for our district is as follows: “For the purpose of providing greater affordable access to quality higher education by providing in-district tuition rates for residents within the Platte County R-3 School District, shall the Platte County R-3 School District be attached to The Junior College District of Metropolitan Kansas City, Missouri, effective the 22nd day of April 2021? Vote YES or NO.”

The resolution proposed by this junior college intends to offer reduced tuition rates by raising our property and real estate taxes. A state statute gives them sole authority to do this if the voters approve. These taxes are raised by adding an additional tax levy of $0.2128 assessed value per $100.

For example, if your home is appraised at $150,000, you will pay an additional $61 per year. Again, there is no mention of a tax increase in the ballot question. This is deceptive.

I assume the tax will benefit a small number of students going to this local college. But for most taxpayers, like seniors or those who have selected other colleges for their children, there is no benefit for Platte County property holders to subsidize this junior college.

The public deserves a full accounting of how this tax revenue will be spent. Does R-3 agree with the annexation? Why does the ballot question fail to mention a tax increase? What are the metrics that determined the levy rate? As far as we know, there is no sunset for this tax.

I strongly recommend a NO vote on this initiative. We need more details, but what we do not need are higher taxes within school districts that are already in major debt. Finally, it is interesting that tax increases are placed on April ballots, which have the lowest voter turn-out. Wonder why?

–Mike Stark

Platte City

Tags: electionsplatte cityplatte countytaxes
Landmark Digital Staff

Landmark Digital Staff

Related Posts

Vehicle fire

Smoke and fire

by Landmark Digital Staff
April 19, 2021
0

A vehicle fire produced smoke seen from a great distance along southbound Interstate 29 in northern Platte County on Monday. Members of the Camden Point Fire Department and Dearborn Area Fire Protection District responded to the scene to extinguish the...

Missouri Riverfront Trail

Trail connection celebrated

by Landmark Digital Staff
April 16, 2021
0

Riverside Mayor Kathy Rose, center, cut the ribbon along with Parkville Mayor Nan Johnston (left) and Platte County Commissioner Dagmar Wood (right) to note the opening of a connection of the Missouri Riverfront Trail between Riverside and Parkville. Years in...

Emilia Wisniewski

Landmark Award winner

by Ivan Foley
April 16, 2021
0

Emilia Wisniewski, senior at Platte County R-3 High School, is this year's winner of The Landmark English Award. Emilia is destined for Boston University to study journalism, with goals including to work as investigative journalist post-college and eventually write and...

Proposed sewer rate hike nixed on split vote

Proposed sewer rate hike nixed on split vote

by Debbie Coleman-Topi
April 15, 2021
0

Parkville mayor forced to break tie A proposal to raise sewer rates for residents who use the Parkville sewer system failed during a board of aldermen meeting last Tuesday. The measure, which called for raising rates by six percent, followed...

Next Post
Politics doesn’t belong in public health

Politics doesn't belong in public health

Popular News

  • Parkville Speakeasy

    A Parkville speakeasy; slow-paced courtroom drama

    29 shares
    Share 12 Tweet 7
  • Judge tells city attorney ‘put case on front burner’

    23 shares
    Share 9 Tweet 6
  • Major subdivision planned along Crooked Road

    43 shares
    Share 17 Tweet 11
  • Major addition set at Zona Rosa

    18 shares
    Share 7 Tweet 5
  • Ball field talk gets heated at Parkville

    14 shares
    Share 6 Tweet 4
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Call us at 816-858-0363

Copyright © 2019-2020 The Platte County Landmark Newspaper - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Subscribe Online
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward

Copyright © 2019-2020 The Platte County Landmark Newspaper - All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist