LFC Comments by T. Price: It is hard to believe that the Madison School Board would ask for a huge 6.99 mill property tax levy on the May 4th special election. Note to the school board: Do you know that the “plandemic” has put people out of work, and closed many small businesses?
We are very concerned that if we stay on the path of ever-increasing property taxes, we will price seniors and those living on fixed incomes out of their homes that they have worked all their lives to achieve.
Here is the exact ballot language that we received from the Lake County Board of Elections:
“Madison Local School District (12 Precincts + portion of Geauga County)
An additional tax of 6.99 mills for the purpose of CURRENT OPERATING EXPENSES. Continuing period of time – Commencing 2021, first due 2022″
This levy may be one of the best kept secrets in Madison. A common tactic for all school boards is to try to “keep the voters in the dark” because a low voter turnout increases their chances to ensure that the levy passes “for the children”. We will expose the truth, and let the voters decide if they want to remain in their homes.
Let’s pull back the curtain on this unbelievably huge property tax levy.
1, How much will this levy cost the homeowner?
2. What is the impact on the taxpayer’s HAT%?
3. What does “continuing period of time” mean?
4. How does Madison compare with other school districts?
5. Is student enrollment going up or down?
6. Is the Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project being taught in their schools?
(1) How much will this levy cost the homeowner?
Answer: For every $100,000 of home valuation the taxpayer will pay and additional $244.65 per year. [Calculation: $35.00 x 6.99 = $244.65]
| Home Valuation | Calculation | Additional Annual Tax |
| $150,000 | ($35.00 x 6.99 x. 1.5) | $366.97 |
| $200,000 | ($35.00 x 6.99 x 2) | $489.30 |
| $300,000 | ($35.00 x 6.99 x 3) | $733.95 |
| $400,000 | ($35.00 x 6.99 x 4) | $978.60 |
| $500,000 | ($35.00 x 6.99 x 5) | $1,223.25 |
(2) What is the impact on the taxpayer’s HAT%?
We have created the following video that explains what the Housing Affordability Threshold (HAT) is, and how it is calculated:
Let’s see how much additional income a taxpayer will need to ensure that they do not move closer to the 30% Housing Affordability Threshold. If the taxpayer does not realize the additional annual income, the school tax levy will move the taxpayer closer to the housing unaffordable threshold of 30%.
| Home Valuation | Additional Annual Tax on 6.99 Mills | Calculation Current HAT of 25% | Additional Annual Income Needed |
| $100,000 | $244.65 | ($244.65 / 25) | $978.60 |
| $150,000 | $366.97 | ($366.97 / .25) | $1,467.88 |
| $200,000 | $489.30 | ($489.30 / .25) | $1,957.20 |
| $300,000 | $733.95 | ($733.95 / .25) | $2,935.80 |
| $400,000 | $978.60 | ($978.60 / .25) | $3,914.40 |
| $500,000 | $1,223.25 | ($1,223.25 / .25) | $4,893.00 |
3. What does “continuing period of time” mean?
Continuous or CPT (continuing period of time) Levies:
We are seeing many property tax levies being placed on the ballot as continuous levies. The taxpayers may even see the levy listed on the ballot as CPT.
The school administration and school boards do not want to continue to go back to the taxpayers, so they will try to slip in the fact that the levy will now be a continuous levy. That means that the levy will go on FOREVER!. The school board will no longer need to be accountable to the taxpayers because they are assured of the revenue stream.
4. How does Madison compare with other school districts?
We created the following chart from the Ohio Department of Education website:
Did you know that approximately 80% of a school’s budget covers teachers’ and administrators’ salary and benefits?
5. Is student enrollment going up or down?
Per the Ohio Department of Education website the average daily student enrollment is going down.
2010 [3,294 students] / 2016 [2,749 students] / 2020 [2,624 students]
From 2010 to 2020 there has been a decrease of 670 students [3,294 – 2,624] or 20.3% [670 / 3,294] of the student enrollment.
6. Is the Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project being taught in their schools?
Ms. Angela Smith, Superintendent of the Madison Local Schools, replied to our email asking if the CRT and the 1619 project are part of their curriculum?
“We teach the state standards as adopted by the Ohio State Board of Education. As a district, we have not adopted or Board approved either the Critical Race Theory or the 1619 project to be taught in our district.”
Madison voters – it is now up to you to determine if you want to pay for this enormous property tax levy.
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Categories: Lake County Cities & Townships, Local News, Real Estate Taxes, Uncategorized