Levies up for vote in C.R. if residents able to vote

The upcoming Cedar Rapids school election, in addition to school board choices, also includes the following:

Doubling the amount of Physical Plant and Equipment Levy, or PPEL, for schools from 67 cents per $1,000 of property tax valuation to $1.34 per $1,000. There's also an additional PPEL in the form of an Iowa income surtax. The PPEL surtax for Cedar Rapids schools was 5 percent of taxable income on the 2011 Iowa income tax. This ballot does not specify what percentage of Iowa income tax the new surtax will be (both of the above included in Public Measure D).

There's a Kirkwood College levy on property tax for up to 6 cents per $1,000 valuation (levy renewal, Public Measure Z).

In the Cedar Rapids school district, how many voters will go to their regular polling places only to find out they need to go to one of the high schools or the education center to vote? Many voters walk to their nearby precincts to vote. The limited voting locations will further limit the number of voters. Voter turnout for school board elections is low anyway, but usually there is not as much at stake.

Diane McLain

Cedar Rapids