Ten years ago, the democratic socialists then in control of the Guilford Board of County Commissioners, as well as Republican commissioners Linda Shaw and Billy Yow, passed a massive school bond issue. They did this even though a recession was brewing. It has taken the passage of a decade, and years of relative fiscal austerity, for the county to recover from this hit.
A recent school facilities study has recommended $1.5 billion in new school construction spending. Even though Republicans now control the Board of County Commissioners, it appears that taxpayers might be facing another bond issue:
(Chairman Alan) Branson put county residents on notice that they will be asked to consider additional spending in the coming years to keep the Guilford school system functioning effectively, based on a 2018 study that recommended $1.5 billion in system-wide renovations, additions, new schools and other changes.
“It is important that you know that these recommendations will come back to you, the citizens, in the form of a school bond referendum in 2020,” Branson said.
Branson spoke about a school facilities study that, in January, revealed findings of a great deal of needs for area schools.
“The study resulted in a recommendation approximately of $1.5 billion in construction and restructuring goals,” he said, “In order to continue towards this investment and commitment to our schools, the county will work with the schools on a prioritized master plan, which will address an affordable funding and implementation schedule, to be completed in the next several months.”
Republican commissioners are in a no-win situation with this issue. If they do not propose a $1.5 billion bond issue, the local media/left complex will howl and scream and portray them as being unresponsive to the needs of "the children". In addition the TREBIC/Melderec forces locally will want real estate and construction interests to benefit from a huge school bond issue.
But local conservatives will want commissioners to do the right thing, and forego bonds completely. "Pay-as-you-go" is the responsible way of handling this. Using bonds invites over-spending. It is irresponsible because it generates interest expense, and requires future taxpayers ultimately to pay back the principal amount.
Branson's comments are a bit worrisome. His actions seem to be paralleling those of the man who sponsored him to run for county commissioner-- Mr. Yow.
We learned ten years ago that only one or two Republicans-- in combination with the democratic socialists-- can vote to place a bond issue on the ballot. And once this happens, the language on the ballot tends to fail to clearly communicate to voters that the bond issue will require a tax increase.
Such a bond issue during the 2020 presidential election season would assure that loads of mindless college students in Guilford County, who come from out-of-town, will vote to raise our taxes... along with lots of other mindless local voters. That is precisely what happened during 2008.
What compounds the offensive nature of this plan for a bond issue? Many Christian and conservative parents feel they cannot use the county schools system because of the manner in which the schools are run. This has been a problem literally for decades. But we are asked to fork over ever-increasing amounts of money.
Who controls the agenda at commissioners' meetings, and what is being voted upon? Who controls what the language on the ballot will be?
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