by Alex Tyson

Hey Billings homeowners! Want to know how to RAISE your property taxes? Vote “NO” for the Billings Public School Mill Levies next month!

Confused? Read on. When the district has no choice but to lay off a few dozen teachers, eliminate critical programs and possibly close a school or two, class sizes will skyrocket and the quality of education in our city will decline almost immediately.

Then, as soon as we have finished changing our city’s moniker from “Montana’s Trailhead” to “Billings: Not the Sharpest Folks,” families will leave town in search of cities where the citizens support the educational needs of the kids. As Billings’ reputation for excellence in public education is replaced by a reputation of failure, the tax base in Billings will actually shrink. Property values will decline. Then, because there are fewer homes to share the collective tax burden, each homeowner will get to pay … you guessed it … more taxes!

It’s a 3-for-1 deal! We can stick it to the 15,681 public school kids in Billings, lower the value of our homes, and increase our property taxes all at the same time!

Sorry for the cynicism, but the truth is that there’s a lot more to this vote than a small bump in taxes. If you don’t fully understand what the levies are for, go to www.YesforBillingsKids.org and learn about it. These levies are important. Take the time to vote “YES” when the ballots arrive next month in the mail. It’s our responsibility as citizens to adequately fund our schools and help our community grow.