Here are the numbers regarding the estimated property tax relief for residents of Westmoreland County School Districts (Dollars per household per year) due to gaming revenue. This is obviously not enough and we need to do more to change the way we fund public education to make it better for our children and more affordable for our taxpayers. The state legislators will try to pass the responsibility to the school districts and blame property taxes on overspending. Sorry, but that is ridiculous. That's an easy "gotcha" political answer and accusation. To see some of my ideas regarding property tax reform, click here.
Belle Vernon Area - $170
Burrell - $162
Derry Area - $197
Franklin Regional - $123
Greater Latrobe - $92
Greensburg Salem - $133
Hempfield Area - $87
Jeannette City - $266
Kiski Area - $141
Ligonier Valley - $68
Monessen City - $226
Mount Pleasant - $164
New Kensington-Arnold - $310
Norwin - $93
Penn-Trafford - $135
Southmoreland - $221
Yough - $165
Showing posts with label Issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Issues. Show all posts
Friday, May 2, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Should the size of Pennsylvania's Legislature be reduced?
That question was posed to Dr. Bompiani and his opponent by the good people that developed the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Voter Guide. Here are the responses:Dr. Bompiani:
Yes. Reducing the size of our Legislature is a fine idea, but it does not address the real problem of run away spending by the legislators themselves. By now, we are all familiar with bonus scandals from the 2006 legislative session. In the 2006 session House Democrats doled out $2.3 million in bonuses to staffers. House Republicans spent $919,000. In the Senate, Democrats handed out $41,000, and Republicans gave $366,000 in bonuses to staffers. The total of those bonuses is $3,626,000. Additionally, every State Senator gets a $10,000 expense account; $15,000 for their district offices; $26,500 for postage; $480 for flags for their constituents; $600 per month for car rentals; and $124 a day while in Harrisburg. This totals $82,424 if you assume that a State Senator spends 6 months out of the year in Harrisburg. Multiply that number by 50 (the number of Senators), and you get $4,121,200. This calculation does not include the base salaries. Before we focus all our attention on reducing the size of the Legislature, we need to focus on making it less expensive for the people.
His Opponent:
I am willing to look at reducing the size of the Legislature. However, we need to make sure that people will still have access to their legislator when they have an issue to discuss or a problem that they need help with. The 39th senatorial district is very large. It is about an hour drive from end to end. If this Senate district is any larger it would be hard for the people to get help when they need it. I will support any measure that reduces the Legislature so long as it does not have a major impact on the people's ability to have access to their legislator when they need help.
You can decide who you want to vote for to represent you in an overly expensive Harrisburg on Tuesday, April 22, 2008. Don't forget to vote.
Visit the PG Voters Guide by clicking here to find the candidates' stances on other issues.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Based on a true understanding of the issues....
The choice is clear for the 39th District. Dr. Bompiani and his opponent disagree on whether or not gaming revenue is the answer to reduce property taxes. Dr. Bompiani thinks gaming revenue is a Band-Aid fix to the gaping wound that is our property tax structure. His opponent thinks it's a great answer.
This is a section of an article in the Post-Gazette on April 17, 2008:
He and Mr. Bompiani disagree on the impact gambling revenue will have on the region's economy. The Youngwood chiropractor does not believe that money will lower school taxes enough for property owners. Mr. Huffman, however, said that "once casinos are up and running, property tax relief will be realized." Link
This is a section of an article in the Post-Gazette on April 16, 2008:
While the size of property tax reductions from slots revenue will vary among 500 Pennsylvania school districts, $169 is the average amount of relief statewide when school property tax bills go out in July, Michael Masch, state budget secretary, said yesterday. In Philadelphia, the slots money will go to lower the city's 4 percent wage tax rather than property taxes.
Taxpayers will not actually see the money and may not be notified directly about how much their school taxes will be reduced. The money will go directly to school districts that will reduce the homeowner's tax bill by the appropriate amount. Link
Just so we are all clear...that's $169.00 per year. That's it. And it won't even go directly to the taxpayers. This simple Band-Aid fix is frequently suggested by inexperienced candidates because the issues surrounding property tax reform are too complicated. For more information on our flawed system and ways to fix it, click here.
This is a section of an article in the Post-Gazette on April 17, 2008:
He and Mr. Bompiani disagree on the impact gambling revenue will have on the region's economy. The Youngwood chiropractor does not believe that money will lower school taxes enough for property owners. Mr. Huffman, however, said that "once casinos are up and running, property tax relief will be realized." Link
This is a section of an article in the Post-Gazette on April 16, 2008:
While the size of property tax reductions from slots revenue will vary among 500 Pennsylvania school districts, $169 is the average amount of relief statewide when school property tax bills go out in July, Michael Masch, state budget secretary, said yesterday. In Philadelphia, the slots money will go to lower the city's 4 percent wage tax rather than property taxes.
Taxpayers will not actually see the money and may not be notified directly about how much their school taxes will be reduced. The money will go directly to school districts that will reduce the homeowner's tax bill by the appropriate amount. Link
Just so we are all clear...that's $169.00 per year. That's it. And it won't even go directly to the taxpayers. This simple Band-Aid fix is frequently suggested by inexperienced candidates because the issues surrounding property tax reform are too complicated. For more information on our flawed system and ways to fix it, click here.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Property Tax Reform...More complicated than using gaming revenue
With my 12 years of experience serving on the Hempfield School Board I have become familiar with the inherent problems in our funding of public education through our property taxes. It is much more complicated than simply using gaming revenue to offer relief. Over the past few years, we have seen a decrease in the State Government's funding of public education yet inflation at a rate of approximately 3% per year (not including the increase in the price of gasoline) has continued to raised costs for the school districts. Couple that with the fact that school districts continue to compete with each other to attract people to their district and it's easy to see how the burden of cost has been placed in the laps of the taxpayers. All that being said, my plan for property tax reform is a four-part plan which is outlined below. Keep in mind that we need to provide relief to our seniors first.
1. 50% Cost Share: The State needs to fulfill its promise of a 50% cost share for education. Twenty years ago the State contributed 50% to public education. Now, it contributes 34.4%. If the State would own up to its promise, the people of the 39th District could see a 15.6% discount in property taxes.
2. Regionalization: Regionalization of schools for business purposes will increase buying power and level the playing field of the school districts. Right now, there is too much competition between school districts. With regionalization, instead of school districts competing against each other, the regions would negotiate together. This would make public education more cost effective resulting in a discount in property taxes.
3. Eliminate Unfunded Mandates: The State needs to stop the unfunded mandates. If the State is going to mandate educational programs to the school districts, it needs to pay for them.
4. Gaming Revenue: My opponent has continued to pitch that gaming revenue will offer the relief needed with property tax reduction. Gaming revenue will offer some relief, but it is overestimated and is simply a Band-Aid fix. Specifically, with gaming revenue we will only see an approximate decrease of a few hundred dollars per year. That's not enough and there is no guarantee that the relief will continue beyond a couple years. Again, it's a Band-Aid fix. We cannot gamble our children’s education on gaming alone.
If you have any further questions or you want to offer input with regard to my plan to reduce property taxes please contact my campaign headquarters at (724) 837-3900.
1. 50% Cost Share: The State needs to fulfill its promise of a 50% cost share for education. Twenty years ago the State contributed 50% to public education. Now, it contributes 34.4%. If the State would own up to its promise, the people of the 39th District could see a 15.6% discount in property taxes.
2. Regionalization: Regionalization of schools for business purposes will increase buying power and level the playing field of the school districts. Right now, there is too much competition between school districts. With regionalization, instead of school districts competing against each other, the regions would negotiate together. This would make public education more cost effective resulting in a discount in property taxes.
3. Eliminate Unfunded Mandates: The State needs to stop the unfunded mandates. If the State is going to mandate educational programs to the school districts, it needs to pay for them.
4. Gaming Revenue: My opponent has continued to pitch that gaming revenue will offer the relief needed with property tax reduction. Gaming revenue will offer some relief, but it is overestimated and is simply a Band-Aid fix. Specifically, with gaming revenue we will only see an approximate decrease of a few hundred dollars per year. That's not enough and there is no guarantee that the relief will continue beyond a couple years. Again, it's a Band-Aid fix. We cannot gamble our children’s education on gaming alone.
If you have any further questions or you want to offer input with regard to my plan to reduce property taxes please contact my campaign headquarters at (724) 837-3900.
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