Publisher’s note: This editorial has been updated. We have removed a reference saying that tax funds which would be raised if this referendum is approved by voters would be used to make both street improvements and sewer upgrades. No sewer work would be funded by this measure. The Landmark regrets this error.
Both the village government of Riverside and the local newspaper that covers the community are a bit hamstrung when it comes to speaking up about the tax levy referendum, which will be on ballots this fall.
The village board and staff crafted the referendum that changes up funding mechanisms to pay for street repairs in town going forward. They chose to put it on the ballot. But by law, elected and appointed leaders are limited in what they say. Their purpose under law is to provide “education” to voters on the measure. They are not to actively advocate for the referendum.
Likewise, The Landmark, now part of the nonprofit Growing Community Media organization, is prohibited by IRS regs from endorsing candidates for office or taking positions on ballot measures. So we won’t.
We will, however, point to a letter to the editor in today’s paper from Mike Maher, a local. He sincerely asks if there is a legitimate reason to oppose the referendum. He hasn’t heard of a compelling argument and wants to make sure he isn’t missing it. We’d note that the Landmark has not found any organized opposition to report on, and there have been no letters to the editor expressly opposing the measure.
In an interview this week, Village President Doug Pollock and Village Manager Jessica Frances make the educational case for how the village will be able to stretch its limited street repair budget by ending the practice of selling bonds at interest to pay for upgrades to the streets and instead replacing the annual principal and interest payments to bondholders with a slightly higher property tax levy. There will be, they promise, no increase in the overall dollars Riverside property taxpayers will be required to pay.
We’d urge residents to attend a town hall next week sponsored by the village. It will also be an opportunity to review the state-mandated wording of the referendum which, as often happens in these cases, is confusing. There is some education necessary for sure.
Bus full of truth
As we move through the final month of a national election pocked with both misinformation and active hate speech, it is a good time for the Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library to welcome the innovative Mobile Museum of Tolerance.
Between Oct. 13 and 16, the bus will roll up with a mission of educating tweens, teens and adults about the rise of hate speech both in America and across the world. There will also be a focus on how to discern legitimate information from the active propaganda and misinformation now polluting our online world.
This is a valuable service from the Simon Wiesenthal Center and welcomed by our public library.