Welcome to the first ever all digital edition of NDU’s United Voices Magazine! We are extremely excited about this shift as it will allow us more immediate communication with you on what is happening and how it may affect your work life.
Of course, many if not most PK-12 schools are back in session so, on behalf of all of us at ND United, I want to wish all our educators and education support professionals all the best in the year ahead! The work you do and the relationships you forge with your kids, their parents and guardians, and your communities will have positive and long-lasting impacts. Thank you for dedicating your time and talents to educating our future. It is hard to imagine work more important.
Here are a few of the things that we are engaged in right now at North Dakota United:
First, there’s Measure 4.
This November 5, you will be asked to vote on Measure 4, which, if it passes, will bar political subdivisions from collecting property taxes based on the value of one’s home and property. To replace the $1.3B which is collected annually ($2.6B biennially) by the political subs, Measure 4 shifts that financial burden to the state. That means that 40% of what the state collects annually would automatically be sent to the political subdivisions, leaving a large hole to fill in order to meet the state’s obligations. And where will the state legislature get the money it needs to fill that hole? We don’t know. The measure sponsors simply shifted the burden to the state and assume that the State Legislature will figure it out.
Make no mistake, the state will have to produce the revenue it needs to meet its obligations, and that money will come from all of us. Currently, responsible people understand that taxation is like a three-legged stool: property tax, income tax, and sales tax make it possible for the state and local entities to provide quality schools, police and fire protection, parks and bike trails, safe roads, and streets, and more. Should Measure 4 pass, the ability to provide essential services will become more difficult, local control will be diminished, and the state legislature will be your new school board, city council/commission, county commission, park board, and township board. Measure 4 will create chaos and division.
That’s why ND United has taken the lead in creating a coalition of over 70 entities across the state called Keep It Local. Though we represent different constituencies and may not always agree, we are united in our desire for a vibrant state with excellent public services. We are adamant that offers no plan to improve our state. In fact, Measure 4 is no plan, and no plan is a bad plan for North Dakota!
Learn more and to see what you can do to ensure the defeat of this plan.
