Is Kingland’s May referendum extortion?

By Bob Rowe

Wykoff, MN

In my opinion the notification that the community of the Kingland School District received about the upcoming vote for an $8.2 million referendum, basically amounts to extortion.  Vote the way we want or we’re going to cost you more money.

On Tuesday, May 8, 2018, Kingsland District residents must make the choice to vote “yes,” costing themselves $17.5 million dollars over 20 years, or vote “no,” and cost themselves $10.8 million dollars over 10 years.  By the way, a “no” vote means farmers will lose the new Ag2School 40% tax credit on the $1.5 million dollar lease levy for the multipurpose building.  Everyone should check the information provided on http://www.kingsland.k12.mn.us/page/4483.

What does that mean to property tax payers in the community?  The estimated property tax impact calculator provided on Kingsland’s website only gives you your “estimated” property tax increase, if you vote “yes” to the $8.2 million dollar auditorium with stage, etc.  That’s really all we’re being allowed to vote on, because our school board, whom we mistakenly elected to represent the best interest of students AND the community, as well as the school’s administration, are either a group of megalomaniacs, or have allowed themselves to be mislead, manipulated, and bullied into once again, costing property tax payers more money.  We are not going to be given the choice of spending $9.3 million to fix the current Kingsland facility.  That is going to happen no matter how we vote.

The other way they are forcing our vote is that if we vote “no” then they’re going to lease levy a $1.5 million dollar building, to use as a cafeteria/misc. classrooms, so that the current cafeteria can be used as a gym.

I strongly urge all property tax payers in the Kingsland School District to find out what your actual property tax increase will be either way you vote.  Will it be twice the money over 10 years, or half the money over 20 years?  That amounts to the same thing, and we have to pay interest on that money for 10 extra years.  Did I mention that Kingsland stil owes $9 million from the last referendum?  The interest Kingsland will be paying far exceeds the cost of running the Wykoff Intermediate School.  They closed that because it was costing the district too much to keep it open, but it’s fine to pour money down the drain paying hundreds of thousands, even millions in interest?

Farmers will be given some relief with the Ag2School tax credit if the larger referendum passes.  Starting January 1, 2018, farmers will receive 40% off their share of a school bond in their district.  The only part of either vote that won’t qualify for the Ag tax credit is the lease levy of $1.5 million dollars for the multipurpose building, if the referendum for the new auditorium doesn’t pass.  However, business owners and homeowners will get no relief.

Wykoff area residents should also ask why they must vote in Spring Valley?  Shouldn’t the Kingsland School Board and administration at least give us enough respect and courtesy to let us vote at Wykoff as well?

In my opinion, we really aren’t being given a choice.  Our property taxes are going up no matter what.  We either must vote “yes,” like the school board and administration want us to, or it’s going to cost us more money.  Seems like the definition of exortion to me.