Taxes have doubled in four years

Dear Editor,

It is not bad enough that the Candor School budget is over $20,000 per year per student, but now the School Board and Administration want the community to approve a 21.5 million dollar capital construction project. Some of the details are on the school district website, www.candor.org, click on the “Capital Project 2014” tab to see the fact sheet and public presentation materials.

The proposal says that it will have “no impact on local taxes.” This seems to be based on the assumption that State Aid will more than cover the project. This might be a reasonable assumption if New York’s State Aid never went down from year to year, but it certainly has in the past. So, by the way, has the student population.

If we taxpayers vote for this project and if the state decreases aid, we are on the hook; it will definitely affect our taxes. The only other plausible reason to suggest that this project will not affect local taxes is that we have been overtaxed for years and will continue to be overtaxed.

In 2010, our school taxes were $2,508. In September 2014, we just paid $5,069 – more than double in a short four-year span. Do you actually believe that you can be asked to spend $21.5 million, and it will not cost you anything? Whose money does State Aid come from? Our pockets! This is our money; and the last time I looked around there is no strong economic engine in Candor (except for the School District!).

Enough already! Read the details and come to the informational meeting on Oct. 22 with all your questions. Come back again on Oct. 29 with your list of objections, and go to the polls on Nov. 5 and vote “NO!”

Sincerely,

Steve Barrows

Candor, N.Y.