Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Vote Tuesday. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. or in-person at the Auditor-Treasurer’s Office on Saturday before 5 p.m.

Everyone now has received the two-sided glossy, three-color advertisement from District 241 and the official document mailed in September.

The District 241 information is not so transparent:

• Taxes will not increase? Taxes may decline?

• Property taxes will not increase if the ballot question passes?

• What budgets will be cut?

• What positions will be eliminated without this voluntary tax renewal?

Taxes are driven by assessed values on property. Most will agree that taxes increase each year. This referendum renewal also has an authorization to increase tax annually based on School District 241 levies, including other voter referendum approved levies, so the total dollar value on your property tax statement for “Voter Approval Levies” (Line 9-A) is more than what this specific Nov. 2 vote decision shows for this line item. This ad piece gives examples of the renewal authority cost for three property values: $100,000, $200,000 and $325,000. The renewal cost is only part of the total. The total on your property tax statement is not broken down on other voter approved levies from other years.

The voter approved levies will rise due to property tax increases. Also, the voter approved levies will also increase annually by some rate of inflation factor, for the next 10 years,*starting in property tax year 2022. (We don’t know what District 241 uses for a multiplier on inflation). “*The proposed referendum revenue authorization would increase each year by the rate of inflation and be applicable for 10 years beginning with taxes payable in 2022, unless otherwise revoked or reduced as provided by law.”

This three-color ad mailout mid-September is supposed to inform you so you can use absentee early voting Sept. 17. More recently we received a Notice of Special Election, which is an official document required by law that shows 20 valuations versus three in the District 241 ad piece mailed out on or about Sept. 14. District 241 contracted with Ehlers, a public finance advisor in Minneapolis, to illustrate the estimated taxes for 2021 and 2022, “Analysis of Tax Impact for Potential Referendum Levy, Dated July 14, 2021”

I encourage all eligible voters to visit alschools.org/referendum website. Read everything and understand. What will happen if this renewal does not pass? What will be cut? Does 241 have a list of who or what to cut? This levy renewal is for 10 years starting in next tax year, 2022. School levies will rise with inflation. Also, the multiplier for property taxes can increase total taxes. The assessor’s valuations on properties will impact property tax bills, including this proposed levy renewal.

Jim Rorvick

Albert Lea