State-Journal.com - Group wants vote on 5 tax

A local group is circulating a petition that if certified would require a public vote on the recently passed Franklin County Public Schools property tax increase.

The FCPS Tax Referendum Committee formed with the intent of giving local citizens the chance to decide on the 5-cent increase approved by the FCPS board of education.

"We just want to give the property owners a chance to have a say in it and vote on (the tax)," said committee member Ben Schrader.

"Whichever way it goes, that's the way it is."

Another committee member, William Henderson, said they aren't taking a public stand on the issue and their aim is to give voters a chance to decide.

"We don't want to voice an opinion one way or the other," Henderson said.

"The best way to do it is to let the people voice their opinion on the ballot - that's what I call the American way of doing things, it's basically what this country's for."

However, Russell Givens, another organizer, indicated otherwise when he told The State Journal that local residents have been, "taxed to death."

The committee has filed an affidavit, the first step to starting a petition, according to Franklin County Clerk Guy Zeigler.

Zeigler said it needs to gather 2,447 signatures - representing 10 percent of voters in the 2004 presidential election - to put the issue to a vote.

"They would have to have that many signatures from those roughly 39 precincts that are part of FCPS," Zeigler said.

The petition is available for signatures at the Frankfort Water Plant Board Clubhouse on Monday from 3 to 11 p.m., according to Givens.

Schrader said the Plant Board signing will give the committee a good idea how the community feels about the issue.

"We'll see where we stand when we have the meeting Monday and we'll see where we go from there," Schrader said.

Givens said soliciting signatures door-to-door is next step.

He said those plans include the county's bigger subdivisions in the coming 20 to 25 days."

The committee has until Oct. 9 to turn the petition in to Zeigler, who will have 30 days to validate the signatures. If the petition is validated, the district will pay for a special election to be held no less than 35 days and no more than 45 days after, Zeigler said.

The election will most likely be held between Dec. 9 and 30, according to Zeigler.

Givens said he's confident the committee will gather enough signatures and people will vote whenever the election is held.

"There seems to be large support for the petition," Givens said. "I think people will come out (to vote) because it's a local issue."

Another group recently organized and filed a resolution supporting the tax.

Group members told The State Journal they plan inform the community and raise support for the increase.

Any interested in helping the Referendum Committee should contact Givens at 395-0528.

7.	Posted by Vivian September 6, 2008
	Here's a video link to bullying on Fox news. http://www.foxnews.c....com/ Every kid cannot be a doctor or lawyer but they can be successful if they have help and support from their parent(s). But seeing kids coming out of school with the saggy pants or other clothes is amazing. Either they or their parents don't care how they represent themselves in public. If someone came to me for a job interview dressed as they do coming out of school, they wouldn't have a chance. Another proven education enhancer is school uniforms. It saves the parents money in the long run and helps the poorer kids fit in with the richer ones. I didn't even know this but there is a daycare for teenage mothers at the high school. This supports what I read about Kentucky leading the U.S in teenage pregnacies for another year.

3.	Posted by Vivian September 6, 2008
	My kids are the product of 8 years of private school. In those 8 years there wasn't one fight in school. We had discipline and practiced it. We have been going to Western Hills for three weeks and there have already been three fights at school. My kid says the bathrooms stink of cigarette smoke each and every day. And I was told Western Hills was the safest high school in town. If you want to improve the learning environment at no additional cost (tax increase) stop those kids from smoking at school. State government does it, city and county government do it. Why can't our schools stop kids from smoking in the bathrooms? Who in the hell is buying the cigarettes for these kids or are the kids buying them at a local store? If the kids don't have to worry about being bullied or being exposed to lung cancer, it would greatly improve their learning experience. Kentucky has again achieved the worst in smoking rates in the United States. read the link: http://www.kentucky.....html Because cigarettes are so addictive do the teachers think it will keep violence down by allowing kids to smoke in the bathroom? I'll tell you one thing I would sure as hell pay higher taxes for. It would be for a school to move all the bullies, trouble makers, and rule breakers to so the other 90% of the kids can get a good education. Get all the trouble makers out of the way and kids would look forward to going to school. Wanting to go to school equals wanting to learn. What do you think?