No need for Dresden school district tax increase

At the Aug. 18 Dresden school board meeting, the board voted to raise our taxes to the rate of $2.9944 per $100 assessed value against the will of the majority of the taxpayers who attended the meeting. This is an increase of 10 cents and will be in effect for two years.

We would like to know what the justification for this increase is. The superintendent suggested that there “might” be increased costs. She also made a similar statement at a previous meeting, saying that we needed to think about building a high school. She stated it might be more cost-effective than paying for students to attend other high schools, but had no figures to support her statement. The superintendent also failed to take into account the increased revenue for the district this year from Menard’s and next year from Tractor Supply Company, or to identify a true need. According to county assessor Dean Dohrman, Dresden school district can expect nearly $100,000 this year in additional revenue from Menard’s alone.

Every person at the previous meeting let the board know they were opposed to a new high school, and the board listened to the will of the people. The people attending the latest meeting were opposed to a tax increase. However, rather than waiting to see if there was a need for an increase, the majority of the board members voted in favor of it.

It is unconscionable to put an additional tax burden on the people of this district when there is no identified need. We commend the two school board members who voted against the tax increase. We also encourage every taxpayer in Dresden school district to remember the voting records of board members at future elections.

Carl and Crystal Mittelhauser
Retired air traffic controller
Retired administrative officer
Sedalia