Everyone is talking about all the chaos in Washington D.C. I want to encourage us all to refocus. In all likelihood, the end results of what happens in Washington will not impact residents of Rock County nearly as much as what happens in our local municipal and school board elections. The candidates you choose on April 1st will have a direct impact on the direction of your community or your schools. They will determine the priorities they think should be funded. They have the ultimate ability to raise or lower your property taxes. (NOTE: Rock County’s property taxes are higher than 96% of all counties in the US! This is relevant to personal income, or people’s ability to pay - Source.)

Each time school districts go to the taxpayers with a referendum request, an inevitable question is, “What happens if the referendum fails?” The answer to that question is largely dependent on the school board which ultimately approves the budget. School district officials constantly claim a disaster will occur if more taxpayer dollars do not come into the district. The scare tactic is effective and even referendums failing on the first request often get approved on the second try. Evidence to the contrary of the ‘gloom and doom’ forecast by administrators is not readily available since most referendums pass. However, we, and indeed the state, can look for at least one case study right here in Rock County.