When you pay a bill by check, sound business practice requires filling in the amount payable. Right? It is not advised to give anyone a blank check lest bad things happen.

However, Marion Ginopolis and the Lake Orion School Board seem to think asking the taxpayers to sign a blank check is reasonable.

The language in their Nov. 6 bond proposal allows for term extensions up to 20 years. This will mean more interest and fees paid by you the taxpayer on top of the $10.3 million in estimated interest. Also, the very last paragraph in the bond proposal states: “The estimated computed millage rate required to be levied to pay the proposed bonds may change in the future based on changes in certain circumstances.”

What does this mean? Sounds like legal speak for everything we are telling you is subject to change. Would you sign a contract to build a house or buy a car with this language imbedded? Of course not. It is way too open-ended and subjective. This is what they call “fine print” which most adults learn the hard way to always read and understand.

There have been some cogent positions stated that good schools make for improved real estate/home values. I partially agree and offer this thought — High taxes can be a drain on real estate values. This is especially true for first time buyers and seniors on a fixed income.

Lake Orion has good schools, no doubt, and I understand many families choose to buy here for that very reason. However, burdening these families with this open-ended bond proposal for nice-to-have projects that smack of “keeping up with the Joneses” (i.e. Bloomfield Hills, Rochester, etc.) is counter to the holistic community values we all want for Lake Orion.

When you go to vote, read the full bond proposal including the fine print and think about the exact wording. Think about your family, friends and neighbors that will be paying this big tax bill for the next 20 years.

Send the school board a clear message to come up with a reasonable proposal that identifies critical needs we can all afford. Vote “No” on the proposed Lake Orion school bond.

Ray Hammond

Lake Orion