Article Contributed on: 9/25/2009 2:47:24 PM
A number of either false or exaggerated claims have been made by a group opposing 4A, the Aurora Library General Improvement District ballot question voters will see this November 3rd. This article offers a "reality check" to these claims. Please take a moment and educate your self on the facts. A long time friend forwarded this information from the
saveauroralibraries.com web site and thought it was worth passing along with my comments as well.
The truth of the matter is that the opposition group is simply anti tax at all costs in all cases no matter what. While not wanting higher taxes is a perfectly rational position to take, no additional taxes no matter what is simply irrational. I myself am a fiscal conservative. I don't like my tax dollars going to federal funding of ACORN or lavish congressional trips and jets. However, when it comes to local taxes for services I can see, touch, sometimes use, that make my community a better place to live and help to boost my property values then I will support that tax.
I have watched this city erode over thirty years due to a lack of vision in both its leadership and community. People in Aurora don't even know what a "real" recreation center is and now we are close to letting our libraries fall to the joke of a level that we have for Parks and Recreation. This GID election is a very rare case where our community leaders have actually shown vision and leadership in years. At my 10 th high school reunion (Gateway) it was amazing to see how everybody left Aurora for Parker, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Douglas County and so on. And yes, the taxes are much higher in these places. I don't want to repeat their comments about how they feel about Aurora as it would only result in further insult, but they sure have voted in large numbers with their feet! One comment I will repeat is how many of them were happy they "got out" when they did.
If the community, leaders, business and yes, anti tax curmudgeons can't see what a $5 a month investment in their community can do, then Aurora deserves to take 1 st seat to Commerce City as the butt of the Denver area. If Aurora thought 7/11 heaven was a bad rap...we ain't seen nothing yet regarding our image if we don't take bold action now to improve our community.
Here is some very good information I found on the saveauroralibaries.com web site that again, I think is very important to pass along to my fellow Aurora citizens. who may not see it there.
FICTION: The proposed GID ... will increase property taxes 46%.
FACT: The average property tax in Aurora is about 80 mills of which the City's component is only 10.664 mills. The proposed increase of 4.29 mills is a 46% increase on about 12% of total property tax. Aurora's taxes are among the lowest in the Denver area. Nearly every other Front Range community from Pueblo to Fort Collins, (excluding the City of Denver), funds its libraries with a similar sized property tax mill levy. This claim is clearly used to make you think your entire property bill is going up 46%...not true.
FICTION: Opponents make a number of statements and imply in the title of their campaign (saveaurorahomes) that some how this $5 a month tax increase will plummet your property value for resale purposes.
FACT: Aurora (all property taxes combined such as city, schools, etc.) has some of the lowest property tax rates in the Denver area. As much as 30% lower than many parts of Centennial, Parker and Highlands Ranch. Yet Aurora zip codes have been among the hardest hit for property devaluation. It doesn't look like people are beating down our doors here in Aurora to buy homes even with our low taxes. On the other hand, as any realtor will tell you, community amenities and quality services play a big role in where people buy homes. This $5 a month tax will probably do far more to enhance the resale value of your home than not. If you really want to saveaurorahomes, then vote yes on 4A.
FICTION: "Your taxes are going up every year"
FACT: Aurora has not increased taxes for operations in 16 years. The CPI growth might allow to the GID revenue cap to grow by 2-5% annually over the next 10 years. Starting with the 2010 levy proposed at about $60 on an average home compounded annually at 3% over the next 10 years.....hmm, that will amount to an $80 levy by the time we reach year 10. Hardly a massive annual tax increase. $20 more in 10 years! Also remember that if the CPI runs at 2-5% a year, household wages will probably follow resulting in a net $0 increase over those 10 years in "real" or today's dollars. While your taxes for this GID may go up two or three dollars every year, are having quality libraries in Aurora worth that to you?
FICTION: With more and more folks utilizing the internet to do research, gather information and network, library usage will continue to taper off.
FACT: Then why have library customer visits and books checked out in Aurora and nearly every other library nationally increased between 10 and 15% during the last two years? Please check Colorado data for 2007 and 2008 at www.lrs.org or Goggle this subject and find hundreds of news articles on the high demand for library services.
FICTION: In this age of the internet, the city wants to EXPAND the brick and mortar library structure and all the attendant expenses associated with maintaining all the branch facilities.
FACT: This initiative calls for a small expansion of around 4,000 square feet for its smallest library branch, Chambers Plaza, which is currently only 3,000 square. Don't be fooled into thinking 4A will result in some wild expansion of library facilities. It will add more hours to existing facilities which makes perfect business sense, e.g. maximize the use of your existing plant and equipment that already houses considerable sunk costs. Nearly ALL of the added funding goes for library materials spending and floor staff that directly assist customers. There are no new supervisors, no office furniture and no vehicles.
FICTION: The City Council and City Manager arbitrarily made a decision to slash library funding, thus creating a perceived crisis with maintaining libraries.
FACT: Library funding has been slowly reduced for over ten years on average. The City Council is required to submit a balanced budget. Unless citizens are willing to accept large cuts in Police, Fire or Public Works, other services like Libraries and Parks and Recreation must be cut. This decision by City Council was not arbitrary. In fact, Council is doing the right thing by allowing the citizens of Aurora the opportunity to vote on this issue. City Council should be commended for providing us with this opportunity.
FICTION (NOT THIS ONE): According to the most recent Colorado Library Association Survey (2003), comparing Colorado libraries serving 100,000 or more users, Aurora ranked dead LAST in the percentage of open library hours for evening and weekend use.
FACT: We can't make this point any better than the opposition. This is one statement on their material that is actually true or not exaggerated. Aurora's library funding per capita has long been below and often FAR below that of other Front Range communities. The 2008 report is also on line for your inspection at www.lrs.org and Aurora continues to rank near the bottom or at the bottom in many funding categories.
FICTION: A No VOTE will prevent shifting existing library funds to other city departments that will be beneficiaries of this property tax increase. City libraries will be forced to operate in a more efficient manner.
FACT: It's been made perfectly clear that if 4A passes, the Libraries will indeed have their own stable funding source. Yes, it is true that the General Fund money used to support the Libraries will become available for other uses. These uses include Police and Fire, services very important to our citizens and important to our property values and safety. By voting yes, you are not only helping to fund the libraries but other services critical to keeping property values high and providing for a safe community.
FICTION: Unless you vote no on this measure, Aurora property taxes will increase a minimum of $125 million dollars over the next ten years. This property tax is permanent, forever. You never get to vote on this again!
FACT: Well, this is quite a whopper! The annual collection combined over any number of years for any tax will look like a lot of money. This is play on numbers for a dramatic effect. Why not count the annual tax collection over 100 years if you want a shocker of a number! Also, the voters can repeal this tax and the City Council has the option each year to set the mill levy at any amount from $0 up to the current year's revenue cap. Also note that the revenue CAP itself prevents the GID from seeing huge wind-fall tax collections in years of large property valuation growth and prevents the GID from benefiting from the valuation from new development within the GID area. The cap works both ways. It was designed to provide for stable funding but at the same time, not allow for excessive run-away growth in taxes.
FICTION: The funds will stay with the library. Are you sure? Since this General Improvement District does not provide for a separate board, the libraries are still managed the same way as a city department.
FACT: As stated in the ballot question, these funds are "solely" for the single purpose of the library. Council would be in violation of the ballot ordinance if they did other wise. This type of comment is just another of many scare tactics. This is a scare tactic you will see many times from the opposition. Don't be fooled in to believing this one.
FICTION: The Library presently receives some $5,500,000 from the General Fund and other sources.
FACT: The Library department budget for direct costs is about $5.5M. Support costs like building maintenance, custodial, utilities and grounds maintenance are housed centrally in other city department budgets. When all costs are gathered together, the City spends about $7M on Libraries. The GID does have additional funding to restore years of cuts and return Aurora's Library funding to a level respectable of its neighboring communities. However, the added funding for improvements is not as dramatic as the opponents would like you to believe.