This Just In ...

This Just In Truth Squad: Franklin voters approve school levy

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Sept. 1, 2009 | 0 comments

Mark Schaaf of FranklinNOW recently covered the Franklin School Board’s annual meeting, and you’ve got to feel sorry for Schaaf. He can’t report what a sham of a process this meeting truly is.

Someone should film this annual affair and post it for all the world to see to show how not to run a local government meeting. This is clearly democracy NOT in action.

Let’s begin with the headline that tops Schaaf’s story on this very website:

Voters approve 3.9 hike in school levy

Now, reporters will often argue, and they’re absolutely right that they have zero input on how the headline is written for their stories. Headline writers will, on the other hand, counter that they’re limited by space and the fact that they weren’t at the event in question and don’t know all the details.

Schaaf writes that, and I quote, that, “Franklin School District voters at the annual meeting approved the 2009-10 budget that includes a property tax levy increase of an estimated 3.9 percent. About 25 district residents approved the $30.6 million levy. Because some factors have not yet been determined, the budget could change between now and when it becomes official later this fall.”

That is Schaaf’s reporting. Let’s just say that I have a different perspective on what actually is the truth here, based on over 30 years of covering local government and having attended this farce of an annual meeting in Franklin in the past.

Again, here is the dubious headline:

Voters approve 3.9 hike in school levy

Sorry, folks. Voters didn’t approve crapola.

A small band of merrily frolicking members of the School District machine (all 25 of them) raised their hands like blind sheep, like lemmings at the annual meeting and basically told the Jesse James Gang, i.e. the Franklin School Board, please ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, we’re bending over quite a bit. Please tax us some more.

Voters? Are you kidding me?

The voters were home after working hard all day to pay the ridiculous Franklin taxes, spending time with their loved ones. Attend the annual meeting in the middle of August? Most, if not all, had no idea it was happening! And even if they did, why bother showing up and trying to talk common sense to this tax/spend happy bunch? Their minds are made up. They will tax you to death because, as I’ve mentioned so many time, they don’t care.

Recession? Who the hell cares?

Voters? How in the hell do we know if the 25 people who attended that meeting and nodded their heads like mindless robots when the question was asked about a levy increase were actual voters?

 Did they check ID’s at the door?

Did they cross check against actual voter lists and Franklin addresses?

Voters?

You want voters?

How about the turnout (actual registered voters) during the spring April 2007 election in Franklin that voted on two school referenda, including a tax increase of over $78-million?

In case anyone forgot, let me remind you of what the taxpaying voters of Franklin decided with a loud and clear message in April of 2007 on TWO referenda.

(Are you paying attention, Franklin School Board members?):

QUESTION #1 (GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS)

YES     2,495 (39.57%)

NO       3,811 (60.43%)


QUESTION #2 (Exceed revenue limits)

YES     2,365 (38.05%)

NO       3,851 (62.95%)

NOW THIS IS CLEARLY A STORY OF VOTERS DECIDING AN ISSUE, NOT A COUPLE DOZEN FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS OF SCHOOL DISTRICT PEOPLE TURNING OUT AT A WHO CARES MEETING IN SUMMER, ATTEMPTING TO SPEAK FOR OVER 30,000 CITIZENS.

Want to know what really happens at this charade of a meeting?

The voters in reality have nothing to say about it.

Franklin School District Business Manager Jim Milzer (A true crook who, as reported accurately on this blog informed Franklin School Board members in the past they’d be voting on a 5 percent tax increase when it turned out to be just under 12 percent) tells the School Board members in advance of the cattle call of lemmings at the annual meeting what he deems the school property tax levy increase should be.

The School Board members react by nodding in near unison (One board member, Janet Evans, would spit out the Kool-Aid and vote NO) yes, yes, yes, there must be a school property tax increase. The recession be damned. Pink slips in the private sector be damned. School taxes up! YES!!!!!!!!!)

So the brain dead school board, and that’s exactly what they are, refusing to question or debate the potential tax and spend increase before them, simply goes along and like Nights of the Living Dead rubber stamps a big tax increase.

Am I going too fast, Franklin taxpayer?

Shyster Jim Milzer comes up with a tax increase figure. The brain dead, afraid to raise a peep Franklin School Board nods like mummies in approval.

The same walking dead School Board goes to the farce of an annual meeting. Before the meeting starts, brain dead sheep are asked to take index cards and when called upon at the meeting, read them out loud:

“I move that the annual school property tax levy increase be set at 3.9%.”

The person reading, with all, due respect, has no idea what it means. All the person knows, or has been told, is that it’s for the children.

And by the way, anyone who wants to take issue and debate that this garbage isn’t orchestrated and used to pull one over on the taxpayers, save your breath and don’t insult my intelligence. The annual meeting is a total disregard for democracy and the wishes of the majority of taxpayers.

So, the 25 potted plants at the annual meeting nod proclaiming, of course we want our taxes to go sky high, and the School Board votes yes, and then the School Board votes yes again in the fall and taxpayers open their bills in November wondering what the hell happened.

That’s how your school tax increase is approved.

Voters approving a big school tax increase?

Not on your life, Mark Schaaf, or Franklin taxpayers.

Voters did nothing at that ridiculous annual meeting. If voters knew, and actually cared enough, taxes might be reasonable.

Shame on school board member David Works who told me personally he hates the taxing and spending for schools. Works also tried to assure me that Linda Witkowski really cared about cutting taxing and spending. Both are voting for big school tax increases.

The last pair of school board elections meant nothing. Most of the current batch of school board members, if not all, must go.