CardinalBacker

Enough of the speculation. It was I.

No.... so many of their tax dollars come from industry. And corporations can't vote. The feds aren't kicking anything in. I'll reiterate my position for the 97th time... I'm not opposed to a bond issue. I'm opposed to a bond issue that's the size of this one. I also don't understand knocking down the high school (which I believe is the newest school in NISD) because "our schools are outdated" while leaving the really old ones in place. Something should probably have been done before now. Something probably needs to be done now. The answer doesn't HAVE to be this massive. That's why my vote would be "no."

About whether or not to steal signs? Dunno. Do you have a problem with using taxpayer funds to pay for signs promoting the bond issue?

I was talking enrollment, not population.

It’s just crazy how they’re all overcrowded when there hasn’t been any growth for years...

FWIW, My dad is 71 and attended classes at Groves E.... which is still in use. I started Kindergarten at Van Buren E.... it wasn't new back then, and it's still doing a good job. Now, they're not as snazzy as the new schools that are being built these days, but those schools are typically being constructed because the districts have outgrown their facilities... That hasn't happened in Nederland. Some people just want their name on a bronze plaque by the front door.

I'm less concerned over that one. I don't even have a problem with the propositions being singled out. $200/square foot seems a little high for commercial construction, but I'll use your number. With that number in mind, you could create a complete BRAND NEW Central Mall for less than NISD is asking. [Hidden Content]_(Port_Arthur,_Texas) 705,158 square feet at your price of $200/square foot... add the three, carry the four.... $141,031,600 for a complete, brand new shopping mall. Not a school that will house 1500 kids for 182 days per year, but an entire shopping mall that would DWARF the plans that Nederland has for the kids. And you'd still have 15 milly on hand. I don't care what you guys choose to do as a community. My problem (as it has always been) is that NISD isn't going to be getting what they're going to be paying for.... for the next 40 years.

Oh, there's no disputing the impact... $230 million dollars will be transferred over the next 40 years from Nederland property owners to investors who will likely not be from the area. With the exception for any funds during construction for locally purchased materials (not much) and anybody hired locally to participate in construction.... most of whom are practically guaranteed not to be from Nederland.

I’m not sure exactly where my line would be. But obviously an amount of debt that was $56 million less would be better in my opinion, provided that the money spent is well spent. The numbers are mind boggling. We keep hearing about the $100,000.00 home in Nederland. This bond is an amount of money that would build 1,560 new $100,000.00 homes. Think about it. Does it seem like you’re getting you money’s worth when the 156 milly is spent?

Did you notice that the value of this bond issue is bigger than #5-10 on the top ten list combined? Basically, NISD could buy ALL of the holdings of BASF, SUNCOR, Entergy, Philpott, Transcanada Keystone, AND MFG Willow Lakes with the $156 million and still have about $30 million left over? Like I said.... a bond is a good idea. The scope of this one is the problem.

That’s good info. Two things I’m curious about... I’d like to see the breakdown of some of the other local districts just for comparison’s sake. I’d expect PAISD and BISD to be a lot more heavily business based. I’m also curious as to why Sunoco and Motiva are getting such a big break on their taxable values. It makes me wonder if they’re getting some type of break for Ag or wildlife preservation. Nice find on the data, btw... I’m surprised to see the split is that even.

Not Nederland ISD ... schools can’t enter into tax abatement agreements. [Hidden Content]

Honestly, I don’t know.

You’re mistaken again, my friend. The fact that the comptroller is currently coming down on CADs has nothing to do with this legislative session. Check local news. Notices of Appraised Values for 2019 are already in the mail. Across the board people are complaining about increased appraised values. They are getting serious about making sure that CAD values are at 95-105% of market values, and penalizing CADs who aren’t in compliance. The big picture view is that the state wants local govs and schools to twist as much out of the locals via property taxes before the state kicks in their funds. Locals have been getting around it by keeping appraised values artificially low. It’s kinda like walking into the tax office and saying you have $500 for a car and just paying sales tax on that amount... now you pay based on the amount the state sets... same thing is occurring with CAD appraised values. The legislature is talking a lot about property tax reform, but they may or may not (and probably won’t) get anything meaningful done. [Hidden Content] [Hidden Content] Jefferson County mailed theirs 4/11.... I fully expect to see a report on the news tomorrow evening regarding an average increase of 10% or greater. But what do I know?

So while we all agree that ALL of taxes (school, city, county, etc...)are headed up due to state mandated increases to appraised values, it shouldn’t be confused with this proposed 29% bump in NISD taxes due to the bond issue? You’re right. They aren’t related. The bump caused by the state pushing for higher property values is unavoidable. The bond issue can still be stopped. Thanks for pointing that out. Vote No.

That’s a great article and a point I thought would be lost on most of you. Hazelwood was going back to the voters to increase their tax rate to cover debt service because the value of their tax base had shrunk post-mortgage crisis. What NISD is actually saying about the rate dropping after 2020 is that they expect the tax rate to go down after 2020 as the value of tax base increases. They’re patting the great unwashed and saying “your tax rate should go down after 2020” and even acknowledging that its only going down because property values will be climbing. But Joe Citizen never reads past the part about the rate dropping after 2020. Here’s the deal. We’ll use $125,000 house example. They take the value of your house and multiply it by the tax rate. I’ll skip the discussions of m&o vs i&s. Let’s assume that they need $330 per year to cover the debt service for the bond from you. That’s your $125k house (less $25k for homestead)=$100k taxable value) at .33 per $100 .... $330 dollars. NISD still needs their $330 for debt service no matter what. NISD is assuming (and I agree) that appraised values will be going up. If your taxable value of your jumps by 10% (and again, were assuming the increase is across the board) you should end up with $110k, and the tax rate needed to cover your $330 part of the obligation would drop. With your new $110k value, the portion of your tax rate needed to satisfy the bond debt would only need to be $.30 instead of $0.33.... but either way you’re still coughing up $330 bucks. And nobody ever goes back and drops the I&S rate, either. THE I&S TAX RATE SHOULD GO DOWN, BUT YOUR TAXES WILL NOT. They are literally saying outright “we expect your home value to increase in the future, and because of that, the tax rate needed to maintain the status quo would be less” and the morons all cheer “lower taxes!”

Lol.... c’mon! Our property taxes have gone up year after year, but as soon as they borrow this money (and before the schools are even built... no way they’ll be completed in 2020) our taxes will suddenly start going DOWN? Are you seriously buying that? We must not have borrowed enough on the last bond issue, because they have just kept going up. True story. My truck got worse fuel mileage than advertised. I did some research and bought a K&N air filter, keep my tires properly inflated, drive the speed limit, and never accelerate rapidly. My truck doesn’t use fuel anymore. It makes it! If I forget to siphon the tank down every three or four days, the tank will literally overflow and fuel spills out on the ground! Do you remember way back in 2010 when the ACA was gonna save us all $2000 per year on our health insurance? Do you know a single person whose healthcare costs have gone down? No, they’ve exploded... just like your property taxes will if this massive cash grab is voted through. I like all of the “probablies” and “projections.” Here’s a actual fact for you. Not a “probably” or a “projection.” [Hidden Content] 2018 tax rates... Nederland is currently the lowest in Jefferson County at $1.15 per $100. They’ll instantly move to the highest in Jefferson County once that 0.33 increase is approved. $1.48 per $100 puts NISD as having the HIGHEST property tax rate in Jeffco. Then consider that NISD isn’t being supported by industrial or commercial accounts. There are no refineries or Dowlen Roads in NISD’s tax base... just a bunch of homes. The highest school taxes in Jefferson County and this one will be soaked up by real PEOPLE. The numbers don’t lie.

Lol.... no it’s not. It’s going to be more for the average homeowner initially and set to explode in the future as the state forces CADs to increase property values. [Hidden Content] The median home value in Nederland is $153,000.... not $100k. The typical homeowner will pay $50/month additional.... not thirty. And more than that as appraised values are pushed up by the state. Some people don’t want to admit they’re being lied to.

Nederland’s current tax rate is $1.15 per $100 worth of valuation. The bond promises an increase of an additional $0.33 per $100 worth of valuation to a renewed tax rate of $1.48 per $100. In plains English, an increase of 29%. Why don’t we ask people what they think of a bump of 29% in their school taxes instead of that $30/month garbage? if you look back at the way that home values are skyrocketing as the state cracks down on Appraisal Disticts, you have to assume that you value will continue to increase and therefore your taxes will go up even higher. What will my tax bill be if my $200k home goes up in value by 10% in the next two years? I can help with that. Right now I’m coughing up $2300/year. With the spike in value to $220k and the new bond issue, my new tax bill is gonna be. $3,256 per year. School only. When you figure that the other six entities will also be paid their share based on my new value AND potential tax hikes, it can get ugly quick.

It’s very similar. You have the preacher saying that he needs a new $54 million jet. Now, he knows better than anybody what he needs to spread the word. He just needs his parishioners to dig a little deeper and anybody that doesn’t must be greedy and selfish. On the other hand you have NISD saying that they need $156 million (@$230 million payout) worth of new facilities. Now, they know better than anybody what they need to do their jobs. They just need the taxpayers to dig a little deeper and anybody that doesn’t must be greedy and selfish. It’s exactly the same. Stupid high price tags under the guise of doing good. Anybody dissenting must be flawed... in NISD’s case, just not care about kids and investing in the future.

I do not... and I’m too lazy to do the research. Enlighten me.

I’ll compare the NISD bond situation like this one. [Hidden Content] Not the same, obviously, but similar. You have a preposterous proposition made by someone who should obviously knows their own needs, right? Shame on anybody who isn’t willing to dig deep and do more for the greater good. I mean, NISD taxpayers are still paying for the last bond issue but gonna be tearing down buildings whose repairs are still not yet paid for.... And it’s not like they’ve outgrown anything.

Coldspring is a good example to counter the guys who say that athletic talent is substantially more important than coaching.

They’re just trying to score another round of Texans tickets.

How does their familiarity with the facilities make them the authority on whether or not I can continue to pay my taxes? Its like taking the advice of the guy who changes your oil regarding whether or not you should buy a new Cadillac. Youre getting an opinion... and that’s about it.