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Voters rejected a new Law & Justice Center. There’s a possibility they may also reject a second high school.

Someone thinks there is a need for both. Otherwise, why go though the motions of offering both to the public for consideration?

But if there currently is a need for both is there any reason to think that need will diminish in the future? And even more important,  will the price in the future be more or less?

Payment is Painful

It was going to take an increase in property taxes to fund the Law & Justice Center. Voters within the city limits paid both city and county fees while those residing in the county only paid the county fee.

A new high school started with a cost of $195 million and part of that to do some updating on the current high school. That figure has now been reduced to $125 million — still a nice piece of change.

Will the voters OK a new high school? With that school comes teachers, administrators, janitorial, and all the costs of a new school.

Are those costs included in the multi-million dollar budget?

There are some bills in Helena that are designed to reduce property taxes but will that legislation be passed and instituted in time for voters to absorb its value before voting?

Some Final Thoughts

Many of us feel we’re already taxed to death. Many feel that the state, county and cities are not very good stewards of our tax dollars.

They talk a good game but when the rubber hits the road the funds are long gone.

The result — more and higher taxes to make up the difference.

It’s no wonder voters are suspicious of dipping so deeply into debt when that debt is added to what they are currently paying making their debt burst at the seams.

So there’s the pain of paying now — or the pain of paying later.

Someday we’ll have a Law & Justice Center. Someday we’ll have a second high school.

And I doubt that second school will be $125 million. When it comes around again it’ll probably be closer to the $195 million before it was pared down for this ballot.

I don’t plan on being in court or jail anytime soon. Nor do I have rug rats in high school.

So I really don’t have any skin in this game. But I still live here. And I’d rather buy low and sell high.

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