College Efforts Tax Increase to Make Ends Meet
By Darryl Maddox
Metro Staff Reporter
Cuyahoga County voters will decide this November whether to support an existing levy, plus an increase, that will benefit Tri-C. Right now, the college is putting major effort to educate voters of the property tax.
Passage is needed or the college will stand to lose $40 million a year if Issue 6 fails to pass. A Tri-C flyer being handed out door-to-door states that the money is needed or else the college has no choice but to cut programs, faculty, technology and equipment, not to mention a tuition and fee increase.
The college is waging an aggressive campaign to see that Issue 6 passes.
“A properly orchestrated campaign is key to success. Tri-C is working hard to have a maximum impact on the ballot in November by running campaigns catered to the November 4th election,” said Craig Foltin, executive vice president of administration and finance at Tri-C. “Volunteer students and staff are handing out literature about the levy and a phone bank is influential in the levy passing as well.”
Foltin said they are urging students to be an active force in spreading the word on how important it is for the levy to pass. The most important effort now is to make sure that students can vote in the election. The last day to register to vote is October 6.
“Sixty-thousand students is like a small city,” Foltin said. If every Tri-C student voted to pass the levy, he said, the levy would have no problem passing.
“A grassroots campaign is a great way to get the message of importance out,” Foltin said. “Losing isn’t in Tri-C’s vocabulary.”
Every weekend faculty, staff, and students are canvassing neighborhoods across the county handing out literature and educating the public of the necessity to affirm with the levy. Students can get involved in spreading the word of Issue 6 by signing up at http://votefortri-c.com/volunteer.
“Students and staff are helping students register to vote. Volunteer work isn’t just a resume builder but a character builder as well,” Foltin said.
With the levy increase, added to the renewal, the total tax cost to property owners would rise to $6.14 per month for those with a $100,000 home valuation; a $2.63 increase per month.
A Tri-C levy vote is on the ballot every five years, and every one of those have passed since 1979.
