Ankeny School Board Makes Good on Pledge to Lower Tax Rate
At the Ankeny school board meeting Monday night, the district’s chief financial officer outlined the next fiscal year budget, which includes a proposed 48-cent drop in next year’s property tax rate.
Ready for some relief on your school district taxes, Ankeny residents? It might very well be on its way.
At the Ankeny school board’s regular meeting Monday night, chief financial officer Craig Hansel presented his proposal for the 2013 fiscal year budget, which includes a 48-cent decrease to the district’s property tax rate.
“We’re now in a cycle where we can say we’re lowering our taxes while still maintaining the plans we put in place,” Hansel told board members. “It is really encouraging.”
The board voted 7-0 at Monday’s meeting to publish the proposed tax rate of $20.60 per every $1,000 of assessed property valuation. The current rate is $21.08.
In total, the proposed rate is $1.75 less than the rate for 2011.
The proposed rate is part of a continued plan to decrease taxes over the next several years, Hansel said. The plan still accounts for two possible future referendums.
Hansel shared a collection of other highlights from his complete budget proposal, which will be available on the district’s website.
Jack F
7:03 am on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Oh boy here is some news... the old board promised at least $1.35 and all we will get is 48 cents. The city already has a plan to take that anyway. Where did the $1.35 go???? Someone said the new board blew it already on "wants not needs." Megan...is this true? Where did this new group of politicians blow the money???? WHAT is the WISE OWL saying about where the $1.35 got spent??? I have his flyer here with a promise to "NOT SPEND" my money on stuff we dont need.
Kurt B.
2:58 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
This is definitely good news, though I too was under the impression that the decrease would be more than this. At any rate.... good news. We need more news like this to keep Ankeny popular and so we don't tax everyone out of the area, like NJ and California have done in the past.
Jack F
4:04 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Good news... new school board does exactly what old board said they would do except the extra buck off our rate. Great news.
Jack F
4:04 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Where is Cahill and Tracy... why cant they step in and help us fixed income people?????????
Melissa P.
5:18 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
It is really unfortunate that four good people were voted off the board only to have the new board implement their tax reduction plan. Some things just aren't right in politics. The new board should have done a lot more or we should have kept the experience we had before.
Barbara Johnston
7:38 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Amen, Melissa P!! The new board is implementing the old board's plan with regard to tax decreases - only not the same amount as promised. You're right, Kurt, some is better than none - but we could have had more had they not spent it on AHS athletic fields, etc. Some of the decisions made by the new board are unbelievable - and had they been made by the old board, would have brought ridicule and outcry from the 'powers that be' in our town. As it stands, the "powers that be" got these 4 new folks elected and are evidently running the show. $115,000 in savings from hiring a Construction Management firm that cost $650,000 to hire? $4 million on athletic field UPGRADES and $1 million on a maintenance facility? And with the new board looking at the staffing plan, we could still have 30+ students at the secondary level while their 'pet project' of elementary class sizes get reduced. Nice.
Rick
10:21 am on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
If these type of decisions keep occuring, we all will regret having any new people on the board. They were suppose to save money, not spend more.
a
10:30 am on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Yep i agree, the old board shure did leave a mess. Who knows if it will ever get strightened out. Went and hunsell should go ASAP.
Steve
12:53 pm on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Fred seems to have an axe to grind and not being objective. Any board member, old or new, that spends all the money being thrown around right now should be ashamed. The new board has shown ZERO constraint with its spending even though they ran on that platform. If it keeps going, I will begin to question their integrity.
a
8:48 pm on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Steve, that hurts! I was starting to feel a real connection to some of you people. good gosh I think im going too take a long walk tomorrow and try to come to grips with why i shold be happy that i can hardly pay my rent and utiltiys and why i shouldnt be slightly upset with the old board loadeding us into a MESS. BTW does anyone have the dahls ad form tuesday. i need it . Thanks, Fred
Jack F
12:48 pm on Thursday, March 8, 2012
Fred... your barking up the wrong tree. Obama used the "it was Bush" blame game. Now you and Obama are doing the same thing. They old board voted NOT TO SPEND the money on bids for all the stuff the new board couldnt wait to spend with George running everything down in PT for his buddies and now Todd and Rooney are giving their buddies moeny to manage construction. It stinks and you and I get to pay the bill.