Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

It is not us to the voters

Enough seems to want to skew the numbers to prove to everyone he is right. The fact is that the PLSD does have a School Income Tax. What Enough neglects to point out is that this income tax reduces the school's EFFECTIVE millage.

Now the EFFECTIVE millage for PLSD is 37.401946 mills. In dollars to the home owner of the $100K home that means you will pay $1,309.06 per year in property tax. If this is your home and you live there you get a 2.5% rollback on your total bill will be $1,276.33.

In addition there are other roll backs that could affect your property such as the homestead exemption of 10%.

Trying to make the argument by comparing our taxes to other districts is fruitless. Enough wants to ignore the total tax load for these other communities, but completion for tax dollars within a community is a major factor in just how willing the tax payers are to support a school system. As an example PLSD is the largest school district in the county. Yet Lancaster in total population is two and half time larger than Pickerington. Granted PLSD includes portions of Violet and Columbus. The populations when including the school district are close.

Clearly demographics plays a huge roll in our decision to vote for or against a school levy. If the average age is lower then they are more than likely going to support higher taxes for their schools. The general economy also plays a roll in that vote decision.

Demographics play a roll as well in how we want to be taxed like the difference between an income tax versus property taxes.

Currently we are paying a little over $106 per month per $100K property valuation plus a 1% income tax for just our local schools.

The above figures that each of us pay will vary dramatically depending on our home's values and our income. The school district has made their case for the need to increase the tax to build new schools. Our decision as voters on Tuesday will be to determine our ability and our willingness to increase our tax payments.

Dear Anonymous,

Dear Anoymous,

I have no desire to skew the numbers. In fact I did NOT post any information without a LINK as to it's source.

It seems that you have posted non-factual information in the post that I replied to.

The origional post asked people to go to the Fairfield County Auditors website to ''Find Out What You Are Paying For With Your Property Taxes''. Link was included. Reminder was also included so as to remind people not to forget ther ''SDIT''.

Since when is it bad to ask people to become informed prior to voting?

Why is it ''FRUITLESS'' to compare what we are paying compared to other communities? Don't you shop when looking for a new car or refrigerator? Or are you like the schools and are able to ask for more money everytime you run out?

PLSD is like a spoiled child.

Gee Dad, I spent all of the money you gave me on a fancy building complex. Surely you have more money in your wallet to give to me.

With the economy in the dumps, cuts in state funding looming and an operating levy on the horizion, you have to wonder what is going to have to give?


By 77.5 Mils is ENOUGH

We pay 37.401 mils to PLSD

Dear Enough

Let me try one more time. Here is your quote cut and pasted below.

''Gee whiz folks, isn't 77.5 mils and a SDIT enough?''

PICKERINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT TAXPAYERS DO NOT PAY 77.5 MILS ON THEIR PROPERTY TAX. THEY ACTUALLY PAY AN EFFECTIVE RATE TO THE PICKERINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT OF 37.401946 MILS.


I think you need to look a little harder at the Auditor's WEB site. She does have a Tax FAQS listed on the home page. Please click on that page and print the PDF file off. On page 13 you will find the ''Max rate'' which is the voted in millages. Then in the very next column it lists the ''Effective Rates'' which is what most of us actually pay. Now class one covers most of the residential properties but that is explained further back in the document.

Now the total real estate tax package paid by The City of Pickerington taxpayers is different than the Violet Township Taxpayers. Both pay the effective rate to the PLSD of 37.401946 mils.

Normally Real Estate taxes work out to be around 1.5 to 2% of the home value. The largest portion of most RE taxes bills go to the schools of any district.

If you still think you are paying 77.5 mils to the PLSD then you need to contact a Realtor.

Let's work with real numbers

Working with mils is nice but it confuses the real item at hand -- what is the actual dollar outlay to the schools. Let's look at real number comparisons:

(All values, rates, etc. are from the Franklin and Fairfield County Auditor websites and represent actual homes. Household income for SDIT districts is assumed to be $100,000)

Pickerington: $186,050 value, $2,247 to PLSD plus $1,000 SDIT -- 1.74% of home value annually

Bexley: $142,500 value, $2,568.32 to BLSD plus $750 SDIT -- 2.33% of home value annually

Upper Arlington: $284,050 value, $4,150 to UALSD, no SDIT -- 1.46% of home value annually

Westerville: $109,300 value, $1,399.77 to WLSD, no SDIT -- 1.28% of home value annually

Hilliard: $297,900 value, $4,159.02 to HLSD, no SDIT -- 1.40% of home value annually.

PLSD is already top tier in school funding, the proposed levy adds another 0.08% to the existing number. For a high income household ($200,000) they are paying a rate equal to Bexley.