‘Your school referendum vote matters’ in midterms
To the editor:
As Nov. 8 (mid-term Election Day) approaches, I would like to make sure that you are aware, on a very important local matter, why it is so important for you to vote in this election. On the ballot this November there will be an opportunity to vote on a local referendum that will majorly impact Brown County schools and their ability to sustain and improve the care and education of our Brown County children.
The language that will appear on the ballot reads as follows:
“Shall Brown County Schools increase property taxes paid to the school corporation by homeowners and businesses for eight (8) years immediately following the holding of the referendum for the purpose of funding the Taxpayer Investment Plan which will include providing for teacher and staff salaries, benefits and programs, Birth – 5 program and funding for the Career Resource Center? If this public question is approved by the voters, the average property tax paid to the school corporation per year on a residence would increase by 33.91% and the average property tax paid to the school corporation per year on a business property would increase by 20.91%. The most recent property tax referendum proposed by the school corporation was held in 2016 and passed.”
At first reading the impression I had was that if I voted YES, my property taxes would be going up by one-third!!! That would be a definite NO! But then I learned that this was not a proper interpretation of the proposed increase. What would be going up by one-third would be the current assessment per $100 of assessed property valuation. The current assessment is eight cents (.08) per $100 of assessed property tax valuation. Voting for the referendum would increase the assessment to twelve cents (.12) per $100 of assessed property tax valuation. For the average property owner in Brown County this is an increase of $3.26 per month.
There are still people out there who will say, “I am not voting for ANYTHING that will increase my taxes!” And others might say, “I don’t have any kids in school, so why should I vote for this?” I would just suggest that any vote for caring and educating our children (not just THEIR children) is a vote for our future and the future of our country. Children are not just the responsibility of their parent(s). They are the responsibility of our community. And this is such a small price to pay for that future. Brown County is a unique place. We have a population for just over 13,000 people. That means we are connected in ways that larger counties cannot imagine. We feel each other’s pain and we respond as a community to each other’s needs. This is a need that cannot go ignored.
We do not have options such as private schools or charter schools or multiple public schools. We have one school corporation. If we do not pass this referendum there will be a profound impact on programs currently offered through the schools and class sizes will increase because the number of teachers and staff will be drastically reduced. The Brown County Career Resource Center, Early Childhood, Business and Entrepreneurship program and elementary science programs will be substantially cut. Programs in theater, art and music, along with extracurricular activities will be eliminated. And athletic programs will face an uncertain future as well.
If you have questions about the referendum, please take the time to go to http://www.browncountyschools.com/referendum-2023/ for more information. You can even calculate how much your personal property taxes will increase on this site.
If the referendum does not pass, the 2016 school levy will end soon and the wide cuts described above will become imminent. Your vote matters!
Sunny Leerkamp, Co-vice President, League of Women Voters Brown County
Why the BC Career Resource Center matters
To the editor:
The Brown County Career Resource Center has been in operation for 20 years now, since 2002. In that time, it has continued its role as the local provider of adult education opportunities. Beginning as a project funded by the generosity of the Lilly Endowment, the CRC did what very few organizations across the state with the same funding were unable to do: sustain itself through community support. In 2010, the CRC won a 1-cent property tax referendum to continue its operations through the generous support of our community. The CRC won this support through two words which you don’t often hear together these days: public trust. In 2016, the CRC was again supported with a referendum along with Brown County Schools.
So, what return on investment does the community get for sustaining the CRC’s operations?
The CRC provides hundreds of high school equivalency certificates, an award-winning Certified Nursing Assistant program working directly with Brown County Health and Living Community, a robust Clinically Certified Medical Assistant (CCMA) program through Ivy Tech Bloomington, a Master Electrician program which has generated new businesses that hire directly from the program, as well as career programming for Brown County Schools. The CRC also houses the local Work One office, which provides additional training programs in high-demand areas. This range of opportunities available is the envy of many communities much larger than Brown County.
So, why does this matter? The CRC helps develop the community’s most precious resource: its human resource. The mission statement says it best: “The CRC offers educational opportunities, individual counseling and career-related services intended to improve the quality of life and earning potential through lifelong learning.” The net result benefits our entire community.
Please consider voting “yes” for the CRC and Brown County Schools referendum in November. Thank you for your consideration.
Dave Bartlett, Brown County
Choose your future: Register to vote
To the editor:
All Brown County Hoosiers deserve a say in the decisions impacting their lives and the freedom to choose their future.
That belief was at the heart of a community conversation held at in the BC Library last week, when fifteen Brown County citizens attended a community conversation, spending two hours discussing what they named as important issues facing Nashville and beyond.
Convened by Hoosier Action, a nonpartisan group working to make life better for everyday Hoosiers, concerns that surfaced in the meeting were no surprises: schools, childcare, mental health, affordable housing, access to healthcare, and bodily autonomy, the ability to make decisions regarding one’s own body without government overreach.
What was different was the approach to discussing and acting on these issues: respectfully talking and listening, and finding common ground.
Using such an approach means building the power of organized people, with common aims, to affect change: through uniting to talk to elected officials at all levels—municipal, county, state, and federal. To meet with those officials to make our desires known, and with them to write and pass legislation addressing our needs. To talk to our neighbors and friends and make sure they register to vote — by Tuesday, Oct. 11 — and encourage them, too, to get involved.
In the special legislative session that moved with lightning speed last month, we saw that our state elected officials largely ignored their constituents’ preferences: Overlooking the fact that somewhere between 60% and 80% of Hoosiers support a right to choose abortion, we instead got one of the most restrictive and punishing laws in the US.
To find out how to engage civilly with your neighbors, please watch the website of your BC League of Women Voters for upcoming town halls featuring candidates for the brand new House District 62 race; and the Hoosier Action website, for further community conversations, outreach, and trainings to build a more responsive and responsible community.
If you want to get involved right now, please take our survey about what matters to you, at hoosieraction.org/family-survey.
Mary Beth Roska, Hoosier Action member, Moms of Hoosier Action chapter
‘Silent warriors” of local ministry affected by rising costs
To the editor:
I wanted to share with you some information about some special community leaders, God’s Grace. They work every Monday and Wednesday below the Presbyterian Church helping those in need to get clothes, coats, socks, shoes and much more. Sound easy? No, not at all. They fundraise, they bargain hunt, write grants, and anything else they can do to support their community. They are silent warriors giving their time, money and so much more.
Once a year they host On the Road Again. The first time I helped I was amazed at what they had. Looked like a department store! A week to put up and organize and days to take down. That’s a huge effort most don’t take on, but these ladies do. This year they need your help.
Coats cost $16 each, and that’s wholesale. It’s time that those of us who can help out assist. I asked my church, Unity Baptist, and as always they came through. Can your church help you buy one coat? Please contact Mary Kilgore if you can, at 812-720-1187.
Judi Gibson, Brown County
Election security is “looking good” in Brown County
To the editor:
Let your voice be heard. Your vote matters. Your vote counts. Our elections have procedures, checks and balances to make sure every vote counts and to prevent manipulation and fraud. We just need to increase the number of people who vote! Brown County turnout during the primary was 25%! Let’s pledge to VOTE.
In Brown County, we vote on paper ballots which are the most secure method of voting. Each person marks out their own ballot. The paper ballot remains as a record so if there is any problem or question about vote totals, all the original ballots are there to do a recount or an audit.
The ballots are totaled on optical scan machines that tabulate counts. The totals at each polling location are compared with the total voters on poll books so we know there are no extra votes. Same with mail in ballots – every ballot is attributed to a voter so there can’t be double votes.
Indiana requires every type of equipment to pass certification processes before counties can even select them for use. Then there are more tests on that certified equipment every single election.
Brown County just completed the logic and accuracy (L &A) testing process for all tabulators to be used in our general election November 8th. Our Brown County Election Board tested every tabulator to confirm that when ballots are scanned, the results accurately total the ballots.
The testing was conducted with Mark Williams, Chair of the Brown County Election Board (CEB), Kevin Fleming, CEB Member, Kathy Smith, BC Clerk and member of CEB, Laura Wert, Brown County Deputy Clerk, our bipartisan team of Election Technicians; Paul Colvin and Doug Cauble, Janet Buchanan, the RBM Consultant for our election equipment, and Shari Frank, LWV Brown County.
Several paper ballots were printed from votes made on the Freedom Vote (Electronic Ballot Marking Device) along with paper ballots from each precinct. The packets of ballots were tallied through the scanner designated for each precinct and back up units. Then the totals were checked against what they were supposed to be. They matched! Additional checks were conducted to ensure the voting screens worked properly. A couple machines were found to need some maintenance, so these were put aside for repair. They will be retested after repairs to be certified in time for the election.
Would you like to see this test in person? Come to the Public Test of election equipment October 6th at 10:00 am at the Fairgrounds Pavilion building. Indiana requires a certain percentage of machines to be used in the public test and tells the county which machine(s) based on randomly selected serial number(s). Come see the test for yourself to gain confidence in our elections.
Then be sure to VOTE. Register to vote or check your voter registration status before the deadline October 11th. Vote in person (with photo id). Early in person voting is from October 12 to noon Monday November 7 at the Salmon room in the Government annex building. Or vote in person Election Day, Tuesday November 8, from 6 am to 6 pm at YOUR precinct polling location. Apply for a mail-in absentee ballot by October 27th, and make sure it is returned by 6 pm Election day. Find your polling locations, early voting days and hours, sample ballots and candidate information on your voter portal (IndianaVoters.com), or the Brown County Clerk’s Election website https://www.browncounty-in.gov/268/Elections, and Vote411.org.
Shari Frank, President, League of Women Voters Brown County
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