OTC tax proponents dissect measure's demise at polls

That’s the assessment of OTC President Hal Higdon and a sampling of local businesspeople that rallied behind the levy increase, which would have expanded the school’s allied health, technical training and work force development programs.

The measure failed by a margin of nearly 3-to-1 in Greene County, according to preliminary election results from the county clerk’s office. About 11,500 people, or 72 percent, voted against the levy increase, while slightly more than 4,400 supported the proposal. Voter turnout in Greene County was just 9 percent, and Higdon suggested that a disproportionate share of seniors headed to the polls.

“The voters tended to break along generational lines,” he said. “The younger voters tended to vote ‘yes,’ the older voters tended to vote ‘no.’ ... I don’t begrudge them a bit, because they have to look out for themselves.”

Beaman Electric owner Lee Beaman, who supported the levy, agreed with Higdon’s generational assessment.

“My parents are in their middle 80s, and once they buy their medication, there’s not a whole lot for bacon and eggs,” Beaman said.

Voters in designated school districts in Christian, Webster, Lawrence, Polk, Stone, Dallas and Dade counties were eligible to vote on the OTC tax proposal. The levy increase also failed by a 3-to-1 margin in Christian and Webster counties.

With talk of a tax levy for the Springfield-Greene County Library District landing on the ballot in April, Higdon said weary voters may have viewed the proposal as the “beginning of a barrage of taxes.”

The 12-cent increase for OTC would have been phased in at 4 cents a year for three years, raising the levy to 26 cents per $100 assessed valuation in 2010 from its current 14 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. After the third and final increase, additional property tax on a $100,000 home would have amounted to $22.80 per year. At the end of three years, the increased levy would have generated about $5 million annually for OTC.

Aasby Automotive owner Doug Aasby said the tax revenue would have been money well spent on programs designed to turn out skilled graduates sought by local and regional employers. Aasby said two of his six employees are enrolled at OTC.

“It’s a circle that works and makes the economy go,” he said. “If people looked a little farther down the road, they’d see 22 bucks on $100,000 is not much of an investment.”  

Aasby was part of the Committee for Workforce Investment, a group of businesspeople that actively campaigned for the levy increase. The committee raised enough money to send out thousands of direct-mail pieces urging voters to support the measure.

On its Web site, the committee highlighted the contrast between the current OTC tax levy – the lowest of 12 community colleges in Missouri – and the school’s tuition, which is the highest in the state at $95 per credit hour.

OTC may be due for a tuition increase, Higdon said, adding that the school last raised rates two years ago. The demise of the proposed levy increase, however, won’t affect OTC’s budget until fiscal 2010, he said.

There are no plans to go back to voters with a tax proposal any time soon, Higdon said. Instead, he wants to focus on better educating the public about OTC’s contribution to the regional work force. The school is only 17 years old, and many people are still unfamiliar with its impact, he said.

Electrician Beaman, another member of the Committee for Workforce Investment, agreed with Higdon’s strategy. “Everybody benefits from a well-educated work force, and I think that’s the main message,” Beaman said.

A majority of voters who participated in a recent online poll at sbj.net favored the OTC tax levy increase. Sixty-one percent of the 147 votes cast favored the tax increase, according to poll results.

SBJ.net Poll

Why do you think the proposed tax levy increase for Ozarks Technical Community College failed at the polls?

Vote at sbj.net/poll.

Work Force Dilemma

What: Greene County voters handily reject a property tax levy increase for Ozarks Technical Community College. Revenue from the tax would have allowed the school to expand its allied health, technical training and work force development programs.

So what: OTC students will likely face a tuition increase in the near future, and businesses won’t be able to hire skilled graduates trained through the school’s expanded programs.

What’s next: OTC President Hal Higdon will ramp up efforts to educate the public about the college’s role in the community and its contribution to the regional work force. [[In-content Ad]]