This Just In ...

Franklin's new theme: Gimme, gimme, gimme!

Posted by Kevin Fischer on March 20, 2012

On Monday night, many of you were enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. Maybe you grilled outside, spent some time with family or friends. Or you may have been working a second job to pay the bills, discussed with family members how to cut the budget to make ends meet, or possibly put a FOR SALE sign in front of your house.

Meanwhile, a small group of Franklin residents gathered at the Franklin Middle School Cafeteria to hear and then discuss a presentation about spending money and lots of it on public school facilities.






As you might expect during this tax and spend frenzy, the interests of the property taxpayers were not represented, discussed, or seriously considered.

Monday’s session was another example of Franklin adults acting like children in a candy store, totally oblivious to the economic ramifications of what they were salivating for.

Are you ready for some sticker shock? From the Franklin Public School District’s very own website, here’s the property tax increase bomb some folks want to drop a la Pearl Harbor on their fellow citizens:

Preliminary Solution Cost Estimates--

Franklin High School (in millions)

§ Gym

Addition/Renovation

$11.1

§ Phy Ed/Fitness/Locker Rooms

$7.5

§ Pool

$2.3

§ Auditorium/Music Classrooms

$10.7

§ Classroom Addition

$7.2

§ Heavy and Light Remodeling

$13.5

§ Site Renovation

$8.3

Preliminary Solution Cost Estimates--

Forest Park Middle (in millions)

§ 2--story Classroom Addition

$15.6

§ Light Remodeling

$2.3

§ Library/Media Center/Cafeteria

$6.1

§ Gym Addition/Phy Ed Lockers

$9.4

§ Heavy Remodeling
$10.7


Add it all up, beleaguered Franklin taxpayers, and the total price tag is a whopping, eye-pooping, absurd, insane:

$104.7 million

That’s just plain crazy, and it’s only the preliminary tally. Who knows how high these out of control tax and spenders can go.

I do draw some consolation that the majority of Franklin residents who could not or would not attend this group orgasm spending orgy Monday night have not lost their minds and have some fiscal sanity flowing through their veins. The bunch that showed up to ask for the Taj Mahal does not come close to adequately representing the majority of Franklin voters and taxpayers.

And by the way. Where are the sessions aimed at bringing the community together to improve teacher/student performance and student preparedness for the future?

Start paying more attention, Franklin taxpayers. They’re trying to rob you blind with absolutely no guarantee that students will do any better than what they are right now.

For more information, go to the FPS website. When you do, Franklin taxpayer, I dare you to find the NONE OF THE ABOVE option.