CACHE COUNTY – Concerned residents of Cache County are organizing in opposition to a proposed 27.8 percent hike in school taxes being proposed by members of the Board of Education of the Cache School District.
In an Aug. 13 social media post, local resident Michael Yap urged concerned county residents to turn out for a tax increase hearing to be held at the Cache School District headquarters in North Logan at 6 p.m. on Aug. 28.
The proposed tax hike would result in a revenue boost of $6,242,500 for the county school district, according to a recent property evaluation and tax change notice by the county’s auditor. The amount of the district tax increase on a typical home with a market value of about $450,000 would be about $130 annually.
The Cache School District educates about 20,000 students annually with a staff of administrators and teachers of about 3,000. It operates 17 elementary schools (kindergarten through 6th Grade), three middle schools (7th and 8th Grades) and four high schools, plus a high school alternative.
The questions that Yap and other concerned residents want answered include what specific programs the proposed tax increase will fund, have all possible cost-cutting measures been explored, what is the school district’s long-term financial plan and how does the proposed tax increase compare to neighboring districts.
Yap also suggests that county residents contact their representatives on the school board prior to the Aug. 28 meeting to voice similar concerns.
Those are Board President Teri Rhodes, representing Amalga, Benson, Clarkston, Cornish, Cove, Trenton, Newton and portions of Lewiston and Richmond; Kathy Christianson, representing Smithfield; Brian Chambers, representing College/Young Ward and portions of Hyrum, Logan, Mendon and Wellsville; Roger Pulsipher, representing Paradise and portions of Hyrum and Millville; D. Jeffery Neilsen, representing portions of Nibley and Providence; Randall Bagley, representing portions of North Logan, Providence, River Heights and unincorporated areas of the county; and Allen Grunig, representing portions of Hyde Park and North Logan.
Yap and others say that fixed income families and seniors will likely be hit hardest by the proposed school district tax increase, as will young families that are already stretched thin and struggling small businesses.
The headquarters of the Cache School District is located at 2063 North, 1200 East in North Logan.