“Iredell County voters will soon be asked to decide whether they want the government to take more of their money in the form of higher property taxes,” our last issue reported in this space. The statement was in reference to the County Commissioners’ intent to place a school bond referendum on the ballot.

The commissioners have since set the amount of the bond at $50,630,000 and scheduled the vote for October 11. Of the $50.63 million, $36.4 million is allocated to the Iredell-Statesville Schools, $8.23 million to the Mooresville Graded School District, and $6 million to Mitchell Community College. The community college bonds will be voted on separately.

In order to make payments on the bonds, property tax rates would be raised by over seven percent (3.2 cents per hundred dollars valuation).

Iredell County’s per-capita debt is already well above the state average. Almost all that debt was incurred for school buildings. If voters approve the October 11 bond referendum, payments on school debt will equal almost one in every four dollars the county collects in property tax.

Bond supporters note that the number of pupils is increasing rapidly, and that many students are now housed in mobile units. They say more money is needed to build permanent classrooms.

They fail to mention that since 1992, Iredell County has spent over $202,000,000 for new and renovated school buildings. This year the county commissioners plan to spend another $43,300,000, financed by a COPS bond (bonds that can be issued without a vote of the people).

This $43.3 million will be in addition to, not in place of, the bond on the ballot. The $43.3 million should be enough to replace mobile units with permanent buildings, add classrooms to accommodate growth, and make necessary renovations.

Even if voters approve the bond on the October 11 ballot, school official will not be satisfied. They have made no secret of their intention to ask for another large bond issue a year or two from now.