And the comment:
Threadjack Alert!!!
Anyone notice the millage chart in today's BCCT?
Interesting to note:
The Morrisville School Millage of 187.3 Mills is 58.84 mills above the county average of 128.46 Totals rounded.) This represents a 31% above average amount.
The Morrisville Municipal millage of 35.9 is 26.15 mills above the county average of 9.75. This represents a 73% above average amount.
So, I ask all council people who are reading, including a certain High Public Official, who needs their expenses examined more closely? It seems that the erstwhile council, while decrying the runaway expenses of the schools, is doing a far worse job of keeping costs contained relative to their peers.
/Glass Houses
//Stones
///Not Yours!
////slashies FTW!
2008-09 millage rates in Bucks County
And the BCCT article: On July 1 Bucks County updated its website to reflect the current millage rates for the county’s school districts now that all school budgets for 2008-2009 have passed. Below are those rates, from highest total millage to lowest. Municipalites and school districts with high property values typically assess lower millage rates. Towns and districts with low property values have to boost the millage to collect sufficient tax revenue.
15 comments:
"Towns and districts with low property values have to boost the millage to collect sufficient tax revenue."
Morrisville is on the "top" of the chart with the highest millage rate. The logical concusion: Morrisville is on the BOTTOM of the chart when it comes to property values.
Attention Morrisville! Instead of trying to figure out how to cut schooll budgets and punish the kids, work on finding ways to increase property values in town. The rest will take care of itself!
Ah, but what is the value of the mill in each town? It would've been good had they shown an example tax for a home with the same value in each town and then what the average looks like.
This table is somewhat incomplete.
My complaint exactly, Pete. It's my assertion that, dollar-for-dollar, Morrisville's property taxes are, at worst high-middle in the county. And that happened when the bond was being paid for. Of course, that would have set us up for low tax increases for at least 20 years, while surrounding districts went about the business of shoring up their own infrastructures.
It's still pretty cheap to set up a home in Morrisville when you add taxes with mortgages. But then again, when someone goes to sell their home in Morrisville, they're getting some of the lowest prices in Bucks.
I realize that the assessments in Morrisville, mostly dating to 1971, are lower than many of the newer communities around the county. The value of a mill being related to the assessment and having nothing to do with current property value, at least until there is a reassessment.
My point was simply that the variance from the mean for the MSD was significantly smaller than that for the municipal taxes.
Other comparisons of millage are not valid, as several of you have pointed out.
The actual tax bills, relative to home value would be another interesting way to look at this, but I don't have data handy.
Regardless, it looks like the council has more to explain than the school district regarding runaway spending. Where's the outrage? Steve? If all the other local muni-govs spend so much less, why can't you?
Assessments are a whole other problem. It would likely be an enormous hardship for many if there were a county-wide assessment. So, it seems, they just ignore it.
It seems more logical (to me) if they were to re-assess each time a property is sold, or more appropriately, at the time the property is listed (prior to the sale, so there are no surprises to the buyer). This would help maintain a steady, predictable tax rate for long-time residents, elderly, etc, while keeping the assessments somewhat up-to-date.
Peter, many communities have re-assessment at sale, and I agree this appears to be a fair means of reassessing properties to ultimately achieve a fair balance. No one in an older home would be reassessed out of their house, and any new buyers, would enter into the deal with eyes wide open.
Borows, as noted, the current value isn't a factor, but the assessment is. Morrisville, like most of Bucks is operating from a 1971 assessment, hence the average assessment of around $18K. Given that there is no where for new development in town, we haven't benefited from much new building. The new buildings in others areas are assessed at the time they hit the tax rolls, and therefore, they have much higher assessments. This allows the millage to remain at a low level since the average assessment is increasingly higher with each new development.
As noted, the real comparison should be the dollars out of pocket to the value of the home. I wonder how we'd stack up in that. Does anyone have such data?
Meanwhile, I am hopeful that someone from the Borough can explain why their costs are so far out of whack percentage-wise with the other Bucks municipalities. It can't be services, we pay for trash, and I don't recall ever seeing a street cleaner. Half the roads in town are a mess of potholes. If we apply the stop the school mentality to the running of the town, I wonder how some of these folks would react. I say we start by requesting a rescinding of all payments to councilpersons. Second, we terminate the Borough Manager and seek someone who earns less money. Let's examine every working part of the borough operation and cut everything that's not essential.
Steve I know you'll read this, and if you have an ounce of integrity, you'd admit that what's good for the goose is good for the gander, and you'd be the one spearheading this. If you were to do this, I'd really believe you were a man of principles. Somehow, I doubt you will do any of this or even consider it. What does that say?
Borows, you're right again. But how do we increase property values and improve our borough at the same time? It's easy, have an excellent school district with outstanding test scores. Then everything would fall into place. Better businesses and families would flock here. The trouble is no matter how much money is pumped into that school district the test scores stink and people don't want to live here because of that. So instead of the bloggers being worried about money (lord knows we've had plenty, 20k per student) why don't you consider ways to improve academics in the schools?
Anonymous, have you been in a coma? Yeah, the scores are not great -- yet -- but they ARE improving. These things take time, start with the young ages and, in case you hadn't noticed, our 3rd grade scores were as good as any other in Bucks.
This is not about money. It is about leadership. And the Board is doing all they can to get rid of our current leaders... You know, the ones responsible for bringing up our scores.
"But how do we increase property values and improve our borough at the same time? It's easy, have an excellent school district with outstanding test scores"
'It's easy'
You must have a Staples button on your desk.
In my mind, the solution is not so simplified. While it is true that having "an excellent school district with outstanding test scores" would be one contributing factor, in-and-of-itself your suggestion would not solve every problem.
There needs to be a comprehensive, borough-wide, community developed solution to this problem. A much bigger "Staples Button" is needed.
From an education standpoint you would want to do everything you could to make the school district a desired commodity. Parents wouold WANT to send their kids here (rather than send them to private schools or hope to be merged with neighbors), prospective parents would WANT to buy here and start their families here, businesses would see the value in locating where strong families are growing, seniors and other fixed income folks would have pride in the strong community developed around good schools.
For schools to be successful they NOT ONLY have to produce verifiable student achievement, they have to be SAFE, AFFORDABLE, SUPPORTED, and COMMUNITY BASED. (We're up to at least five "Staples Buttons".)
Truly, if it were as easy as improving test scores we could all rest assured that teaching to the tests would be the most direct means to improving property values.
Then our children would become the commodity rather than the school district.
The trouble is no matter how much money is pumped into that school district the test scores stink and people don't want to live here because of that.
I disagree. I think people don’t want to live here because for years there have been attention whores, like a certain High Public Official, who have done their damndest to keep negativity alive in the town and in the press about the town. Perception is everything.
Yeah Peter it's great that 3rd grade scores have improved however, when 3 out of 4 of our most recent graduates failed at math and reading on state tests, well that makes your argument that things "are improving" a bit misleading. What do you consider more important, a 3rd grader's scores or a Seniors who is now facing college and/or going out into the real competitive world? Peter, you need to face it, it is not I who has been in a coma but rather you whom lives in denial. This school district costs much but the results stink. If it were a business in the real competitive world, it would have gone bankrupt long ago. Our school district is slowly killing this town and like the Emperor said, "a major restructuring is necessary." Personally, I believe our lazy self serving lawmakers need to get off their lazy asses and force a merger with Pennsbury. Then watch how this town will flourish.
"...I believe our lazy self serving lawmakers need to get off their lazy asses..."
I agree, Steve. Tell us what you, as a high borough official, have done to lower Morrisville's taxes and make Morrisville a better place.
"Yeah Peter it's great that 3rd grade scores have improved however, when 3 out of 4 of our most recent graduates failed at math and reading on state tests, well that makes your argument that things "are improving" a bit misleading."
Um, no, it doesn't. You really have no concept of planning for the future, do you? And exactly what do you think happens when those 3rd graders become 4th graders, then 5th, etc? Yes, it is sad that we cannot magically improve 11th graders whose education during their younger years was lackluster. All we can do is offer the best of what we have now. If you really must lay blame, I suggest you blame the leadership of 10 years ago (now, who would that have been?).
What I'm talking about is building the foundation of something great, bottom up. But you wouldn't get that.
Nevertheless, there are some really great kids in the older grades too and you're not giving them their due.
Like a black hole of anti-matter, Steve's "accomplishments" lie not so much in what he's done, but in what he hasn't done, which is a lot. They lie not so much in what he's started, but what he's stopped, which, again, is a lot. One need only look to see what hasn't been done or started to see the vast breadth of what Steve has accomplished. Got it? I mean "YOU UNDERSTAND???" If you do, please fill me in...
Jon, don't forgot to wave your hand (in a imma gonna shoot you like fashion) when yelling YOU UNDERSTAND. It just doesn't have the same effect...
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