CCP 08-09-1993 - Laserfiche WebLink

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. t <- . SAINT PAUL PIONEER PRESS FRIDAY. AUGUST 6.1993.. School officials defend:.. I -~ , -- proposed tax (Increase : MATTllEW G. DAVIS STAFF WRIWl raiSed by no more than 3 percent.: to 5 percent. ~: 5 But school board member Mary " t. Paul public school officials Thornton Phillips argued that an: On Thursday deleoded a proposed ulcreasing enrollment gives the' 14.8 percent property tax in- ktrict no other choice. . crease, saying anything less would "When children come into the not allow the schools to adequate- 001 dlstrict, they must. be ly educate a growing number 01 served:' she said. "We've conimit- . students. ted ourselves to excellence. Excel- The proposed school tax in- lence has a price. Ally number crease and smaller increases pro-f that approaches .3 to 5 says we posed by Ramsey County and the. may be doing things in St. Paul city mean property taxes would go: schools, but it's not excellence." :: . up by about 9.1 percent lor St The county's proposed tax in- : Paul residents. crease is 5.3 percent; the city's is The possible increase was made 4.4 percent. .:. . public last mooth during the first Scheihel said it is possihle the : meeting 01 the new Joint Property city eventually will approve a tax Tax Advisory Conimittee. The increase lower than the 4.4 per: committee met again Thursday cent now proposed. ." . . aod approved a resolution saying Though many olllcials at the.. the total tax impact will not be meeting Thursday called the 9.1:. more than the 9.1 percent. percent ligure unacceptable, no. St. Paul Mayor Jim Scheibel la- one except Rettman and Scheiber vored a resolution capping the to- estimated how mnch the total in,: tal tax increase at 8 percent, but crease- should be. . ::. he couldn't get a second lor his Rep. Howard Orenstein, DFL-S\,: motion. Paul. whose legislation created the . The resolution setting the 9.1 committee. said the group should-. percent limit has no binding legal have sought more public input be':":. power. but it is a benchmark lrom lore voting Thursday. = which the three taxing bodies will "1 think it was a slap in the face- prepare their budgets lor the com. to the public that there was noC. ing year. time allotted on the schedule foC St. Paul City Council Member public testimony." he said. "Thr Janice Rettman. 5th Ward, argued law requires public input, and thaI- vehemently against the resolution. input should have come before: . She said total taxes should be votes were taken. .... = - . -