I have resisted predicting the outcome of the Blue vs. Yellow FWCS bond issue petition drives, because I've thought it could go either way. On the Blue, anti-project side is the fact that this will be the most expensive public project in local history and the fact that people are feeling a little put upon by one government initiative after another. But the Allen County Public Library showed that an army of volunteers can get an expensive project through, and the school system can tap into even more volunteers. And ballot initiatives, with the signatures being public, tend to work in favor of those seeking the money. Bond issues get voted down a lot more often when there is a secret-ballot referendum process. I have been wrong before and can be again, but I think this tips things in Blue's favor:
The city's newest residents can expect to see a 57 percent increase in their property taxes, according to information from the Allen County Auditor's Office.
Residents who were annexed into the city Jan. 1, 2006, in what was known as the Aboite Annexation or the Southwest Annexation will see the largest jump in their property taxes when tax bills are sent out in mid-July. Auditor Lisa Blosser said the average increase for the city is 14.44 percent and the increase for the county is 12.31 percent.
This will just add to the anti-tax mood already out there. The FWCS bond issue is the wrong project at the wrong time.
The News-Sentinel has not explicitly said people should run out and sign the Blue petitions the way The Journal Gazette has been pounding the drums for Yellow. But we've published an editorial saying we wish we could enthusiastically support the project but can't, for many of the reasons you know if you've been folliwng the debate.
If this does go down, the school system will have to wait a year before resubmitting something. Perhaps it will do then what it should have done this time -- a project that really does just address critical needs, not what is essentially a $500 million blank check.
