Warren board member decries referendum's tax quid pro quo

Warren Township High School officials would cut their tax rate if voters grant permission to borrow $30 million, mostly for expansion of the Almond Road upperclassmen campus. Supporters say this is a good deal.

But opponents doubt taking out a $30 million construction loan would ultimately reduce costs for taxpayers. They also question why a majority on the Gurnee-based Warren District 121 board agreed to allow tax bills to fall only if the ballot measure passes Nov. 4.

District 121 board President John Anderson said no matter what opponents say, residents would benefit from a 9-cent tax-rate cut that would come with the referendum's approval. He said a refinancing of construction debt four years ago would allow the decrease.

"People are going to pay less money next year, and the year after, and the year after, and the year after, and the year after, and the year after," Anderson said during a heated debate this week with board member Richard Conley, who opposes the proposal.

Conley said voters should be skeptical of the proponents' sales pitch that an owner of a $300,000 home would save $88 in taxes next year by allowing Warren to borrow the $30 million. He said it doesn't pass the "financial smell test."

"You can't get something for nothing," said Conley, a Citizens for Responsible Government member. "Otherwise, if we're borrowing $30 million to save $88, let's borrow $300 million and save $880. It doesn't work that way."

If the referendum question passes, Warren would add 14 new classrooms, build more physical education space, renovate offices and expand the cafeteria into the Black Box Theater at the Almond building for juniors and seniors. About 2,200 students would be accommodated with an expansion that would include parking lot improvements and a new fine-arts facility built onto the 11-year-old school.

Plans also call for fire-alarm system repairs at Almond and the O'Plaine Road campus for freshmen and sophomores as well as fixing and replacing telephone and security systems at both buildings.

Growth at the Almond Road campus is cited as the reason for the $30 million request. Six-day enrollment was 1,901 at a building designed to handle 1,800 pupils.

Warren's bond and interest tax rate would drop from 28 to 19 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation if the request to borrow $30 million is approved. An owner of a $300,000 home would pay $88 less in taxes to Warren in 2009.

Although the bond and interest tax rate was slated to dip from 28 to 14 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation next year, a Warren board majority agreed to not let that happen if the referendum question fails. Instead, they'll keep the rate at 28 cents and use the money to accelerate debt payments.

Conley said the partial tax decrease should not be contingent on voters letting Warren borrow $30 million. He said an owner of a $300,000 home could have decided it was better to reject the measure and have the bond and interest debt tax rate fall the entire 14 cents, translating into an annual bill of $136 instead of $279.

"This should be a straight up or down vote," Conley said.

Citizens for Responsible Government and Wadsworth resident Shawn Depke's Concerned Citizens are among the visible referendum question opponents. A sizable red "Vote No" sign is in front of a home across from Warren's O'Plaine campus.

Residents favoring the proposal spoke at Tuesday night's school board meeting, citing concerns about declining property values and a reduction in the quality of children's education at Warren if the bond question is rejected at the ballot box Nov. 4.

Marcy O'Brien told board members that she'd expect some Gurnee parents would resort to selling their homes quickly and cheaply if the proposal is voted down and the Almond Road campus isn't expanded.

"Schools are the backbone of every community," O'Brien said.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=video&item=32">Pro: Warren Township High School </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=video&item=33">Con: Warren Township High School </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>