Gotcha!

By: William S. Wright

On August 29, 2002 the Board of Tarrant County College voted to raise our property tax by 45% (homesteading seniors will enjoy a 59% increase), and there is nothing we can do about it. Gotcha! Thank you, Board members, for not raising our taxes by 103% as you did in 1998. At the public hearing one week before the above vote, the Board declined to reveal why this increase is necessary and what this largesse forced from an unwilling public will be used for. It is really not about money - it is about the exercise of raw power and naked greed by an uncontrollable bureaucracy. The Board is unanimous in its decision, thereby showing no regard for operational efficiency or the taxpayers' wallets. Hey, it's about education - no one can be against that.

This increase means the average taxpayer in '03 will pay 3.9 times the dollar amount paid in '98, a compound annual growth rate of 31%. Homesteading seniors are even more cruelly affected - they will pay 9.2 times the '98 amount, a compound annual growth rate of 56%. How many people do you know whose incomes are increasing at these astronomical rates? And all this for a service which is utilized by only 4% of the population, almost half of which are part-time and non-credit attendees. 90% of the students do not complete a course of study leading to a Graduation Certificate.

An analysis and comparison of TCC's income statement and balance sheet for FY '97, FY'01 and the '02 budget reveals an '01 operating gain of $19.0 million vs. only $0.5 million in '97. From FY '97 to FY '01 TCC received $222 million of our taxes. Q: What do we have to show for this enormous sum? A: An increase of $71 million in cash and investments, with an ending balance of $103 million; an increase of $23 million in fixed assets, with an ending balance of $218 million. A third of tax receipts just accumulates on the balance sheet instead of remaining with the taxpayers. TCC needs it more than we do. With the proposed tax increase, $190 million will have been raised in two years compared to $222 million over the preceding four years. Note: the '01 financials show a $2 million liability for bad checks received from students for payment of tuition and fees, almost 10% of total revenues from these sources.

Between FY '97 and FY '01 our taxes were called upon to cover a drastically larger proportion of TCC expenditures, 32% in '97 - 52% in '01. Expenditure for operation and maintenance rose from 12% of revenues to 18%, while cost of instruction (are you listening) fell from 38% to 34% of total expenses.

Tuition and fees were 21% of revenue in '97, 19% in '01 and only 16% in the '02 budget. We are told of a burgeoning demand for TCC services, yet the '02 budget reflects a $1.4 million decrease in income from tuition and fees. No surprise, revenue from the taxpayers will increase by $7.5 million.

The TCC website projects a need for $87 million of capital investment from '02 through '05. With $103 million in hand at the end of '01, just what is the problem? There really isn't any financial problem.

But other problems abound. By what logic does the Board justify a tax increase of 156% between '97 and '01, when enrollment increased by only 8%? Administration consumes 33% of total expenses. A hugely expensive central bureaucracy is duplicated at four other locations, two of which suffered enrollment declines in the period. If there is such large demand for TCC services, why is it necessary to spend so much money to attract students, including non-U.S. citizens. Automatic mailing of the TCC catalog to all county residential addresses is certainly a money-losing proposition. As a spokesman admits, a new proposed downtown facility to serve only 3,000 is not economic and there are no studies to indicate that it will be fully utilized. Still, there is a perceived duty to provide it.

Is it really necessary to offer, at taxpayer expense, courses in golf, walking (?) and bowling (to name only a few covered sports), 12 varieties of dancing, 11 flavors of psychology, 7 kinds of philosophy, 4 courses in reading (well, of course, they didn't learn this in high school), and any number of touchy-feelies dealing with the family, self-esteem, and lifestyles.

A quality product sufficient to meet the needs of the financially challenged at reasonable cost is perfectly attainable by reducing administrative costs, the curriculum and attendant taxes by 30%-40%. The worthy purpose and true value of TCC cannot be denied, but these are being perverted by a group of overweeningly ambitious empire builders.

Documents supporting the above comments are available by calling (817) 737-0331.

Petition to Roll Back

Tarrant County College Tax Increase

September 6, 2002

The Board of TCC has voted to increase your TCC property tax by 45% in 2002 (an effective 60% for homesteading seniors). A small group of concerned taxpayers earnestly solicits your cooperation in presenting this petition to your employees, friends, business associates, church group, professional organization, social club or anyone you can think of who might be interested in avoiding such a horrendous tax increase. This initiative is a grass roots endeavor, with no hidden agenda, no political considerations. It is simply a showdown between those who pay the taxes and those who spend them lavishly and inefficently, with never a thought for the heavy burden they place on a docile, long-suffering citizenry.

We ask you to help us gather the signatures of persons who are registered voters in Tarrant County. Each person my sign only once. We need 90,000 signatures no later than November 25, 2002. Fulfilling this requirement will force an election which will allow ALL voters, instead of just six Board members, to decide whether such an exorbitant tax increase should be put into effect.

We are aware of privacy considerations, but a signature and the other data requested are requirements of the election laws. Birth dates are recorded on each voter's registration card, and are thus already a matter of public record.

Please duplicate the petition form as necessary, and return fully or partially completed forms toWilliam Wright, P.O. Box 121967, Fort Worth, TX 76121. Every signature is crucial to the success of this effort. We hope you will agree that is is important for the voters to have their say. This can only be assured through your continued effort and support over the next three months. We can win this fight if we all pitch in. Thanks for you consideration.