School district passes the test

If you have read these offerings for any length of time, you know that your humble columnist generally qualifies as a fiscal conservative.

Some would claim that conservatives have never met a tax they didn’t hate and would not support. Au contraire! Next week I urge the registered voters among you to join me in voting yes on the school bond issue if you live in the Independence School District.

Conservatives favor wise stewardship by our governments, and it is my opinion that ISD has proven that quality for many years. There are many good reasons to vote for this particular bond proposal, but I will focus on three.

School quality is a prime determinant of community desirability. You cannot realistically say – even if you don’t have children in school – it doesn’t affect you. The inclusion of the former Rock Creek school district into ISD is already transforming neighborhoods, drawing new families, and lifting home values and the tax base that pays the freight for everyone’s services.

Fine houses with architectural appeal are available for relatively low cost, leaving plenty of margin for the cost of updating or complete makeover. Younger adults should be looking for these bargains in light of present and future gasoline costs instead of buying a tract house ever farther east in the country.

Second, investment in these public buildings has a terrific multiplier effect. The living wage for construction workers pours benefits through to the butcher, baker and – well, you get the idea. That is why skilled trades unions are giving strong support to pass this. Wouldn’t you much rather employ people to improve our community than to help them subsist through unemployment benefits and food stamps? This is Economics 101.

A third reason I like this proposal is its timing in our economic cycle. When times are good, everyone is building. The costs are higher for everything from cement and lumber to borrowed money. The demand is relatively greater then.   

But now contractors need work, and they have already cut their overhead to the bone. Independence School District has always been known for making a silk purse from a sow’s ear, and these projects will be no exception. I wish I had 5 percent of the money that Ron Bruch has saved all of us in the past 20 years by his careful oversight and negotiating skill.

We will also save millions by borrowing now. The federal economic rescue provides zero-interest bond money to local government (including school districts) for infrastructure improvements. We cannot be sure how much we will receive at zero cost, but we know for certain that even sums borrowed now at market rates will be extremely low. This is a bird in the hand.

There you have it. I am voting yes because this is a deal even a staunch conservative can appreciate. The time to plant a 20 was 20 years ago. Let’s not miss this opportunity to plant some for our grandchildren and beyond.