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Ballot Questions

COUNTY OF BUCKS OPEN SPACE REFERENDUM           

Shall debt in the sum of Eighty-seven Million Dollars ($87,000,000) for the purpose of financing the acquisition and preservation of open space, including agricultural land, municipal open space, county parkland, natural areas and the Delaware riverfront be authorized to be incurred as debt approved by the electors?

YES or NO

Bucks County Open Space Referendum “Plain English” Statement

After nearly a year’s study, the 2007 Bucks County Open Space Task Force recommended to the Bucks County Commissioners a bond issue to acquire and preserve open space over the next decade (ten years).  Do you support an Eighty-
seven Million Dollar ($87,000,000) increase in the Bucks County debt limit for that purpose?

It is estimated that the Eighty-seven Million Dollars ($87,000,000) would be borrowed in phases as follows:

1. Twenty-nine Million Dollars ($29,000,000) – 2008
2. Twenty-nine Million Dollars ($29,000,000) – 2011
3. Twenty-nine Million Dollars ($29,000,000) – 2014

The Open Space Task Force plan allocates Twenty-five Million Dollars ($25, 000,000) for farmland preservation, Twenty-six Million Dollars ($26,000,000) for municipal open space, Eighteen Million Dollars ($18,000,000) for county parkland acquisition, Eleven Million Dollars ($11,000,000) for preservation of natural areas and Seven Million Dollars ($7,000,000) for the preservation
of Delaware riverfront land.  It is expected that the County investment would leverage an estimated One-Hundred and Twenty Million Dollars ($120,000,000) in supplementary funding from other sources.

The anticipated yearly cost of the Eighty-seven Million Dollars ($87,000,000) to the residents of Bucks County would range from Ten Dollars ($10) per household to Thirty-One Dollars ($31) per household, based upon the above borrowing schedule.  This equates to between Three (.03¢) and Eight (.08¢) Cents per day.
 
A vote “YES” to the ballot question approves borrowing for these purposes.

COUNCIL ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT
ACT 24 OF 2001 OCCUPATION TAX REPLACEMENT REFERENDUM      

“Do you favor increasing the rate of the earned income tax to a maximum of 1.2%, with the requirement that the increase be used to eliminate the occupation tax?”

YES or NO

Act 24 of 2001 Nonlegal Interpretive Statements Council Rock School District

Under Act 24 of 2001, each local school board -- with voter approval -- may impose a tax on earned income and net profits in order to pay for elimination of the Occupation Assessment Tax.

The Act provides that voters within each school district are to decide directly whether their school district will impose an additional income tax to fund elimination of the Occupation Assessment Tax.  This referendum question is being presented to voters to allow them to decide that question.

If the majority of voters vote “yes” on this referendum question, residents in the Council Rock School District will pay more in earned income taxes to the school district by 0.2%.  In exchange, the Occupation Tax would be eliminated.  It currently generates approximately $3,875,000 each year.

If the majority of voters vote “no” on this referendum question, no changes would occur to the school district’s portion of the earned income tax rate.  Therefore, no local revenue would be available to eliminate the Occupation Assessment Tax.

The current school district earned income tax rate is 0.5%.  Municipalities also collect earned income tax at rates of 0.5%, with the exception of Wrightstown which collects an additional amount.  If approved, the new school district earned income tax rate will be 0.7% starting July 1, 2008 and the combined municipal and school district rate will be 1.2% except in Wrightstown.  The change in
school district tax rate will not affect any income tax currently levied by the local municipality.