Referendum Madness
Another day, another Indiana School District referendum. This time it’s the Hamilton Southeastern School District. The HSE Board voted Monday night to ask the taxpayers for a $5.5 million tax increase to make up for a funding shortfall.
In Marion County, Franklin and Perry Townships as well as Beech Grove are asking for more cash for schools and Wishard Hospital is asking for voters to approve hundreds of millions of dollars for a new Hospital.
I will admit to not being a huge fan of government by referendum and California is my example where people vote in programs but also vote against paying for them. But I actually think in this case, a referendum is a pretty good thing. Many local governments whine about being strapped for cash because of property tax caps and that the situation is only going to get worse when the full caps kick in in 2010. So the legislature gave them the ability to go to the voters and ask for more money.
Local governments are going to have to really make the case for these referenda if they want them to pass, but past history hasn’t been too kind. According the State Department of Local Government and Finance, only five of the last 17 school referenda in Indiana have passed.
With any luck, these school referenda will go down in flames, the locals will be strapped for cash, and then they will have focus on the “c” word as a way to stay open; c, of course, being consolidation and the madness can stop.
