The Lakeland city board unanimously approved a special $0.55 property tax Thursday to fund a $50 million middle/high school building project. The tax will not go into law until it passes a public hearing and final reading scheduled for Sept. 23.
Bill Edwards, president of a Lakeland homeowners’ association, said he was concerned that not enough people are aware of the proposed tax, which is intended to fund a 30-year bond to buy land, design the school and build it. The mayor thanked him for his comments and expressed willingness to meet with groups in a home or public facility to discuss the proposal further.
Justin Baldridge, a new Lakeland resident, said excellent schools make the city attractive.
Bill Rose of Lakeland mentioned how much higher his taxes would be with the property tax increase and he wondered if the board has considered the effect on all residents, particularly those on fixed incomes.
Community activist Phil Pilcher of Lakeland asked for details on what the tax increase will cover, such as the cost of insurance on the $50 million bond.
School superintendent Dr. Ted Horrell presented an overview of the Lakeland Prep building project. Then mayor Wyatt Bunker explained how the school building project has been well researched and the funding plan is conservative enough that it does not include some revenue the city anticipates:
- There will be a November announcement regarding future use of the old Kroger building.
- Future development of the outlet mall is still planned (despite vandalism that occurred in July – see that in this issue’s Shelby County Sheriff’s report for Lakeland).
Expected population growth and retail growth should also boost the city’s revenue, he said.
Bunker also said the average American homeowner stays in a home for seven years, and he added, “That means that anyone with a second-grader or older is looking at where their child is going to go to high school.”
He said if Lakeland must offer a K-12 school system if it wants to be competitive with Arlington, Collierville and Germantown in recruiting the most desireable new residents – responsible people who will take care of their property, abide by the laws and provide solid educations for their children.
Lakeland could wait a few years to start building because middle-schoolers and high-schoolers can attend Arlington Community Schools (ACS) over the next seven years, thanks to an agreement with that school district, Bunker said, but rates are lower now.
Waiting also means Lakeland would miss out on opportunities to grow the city and recruit responsible families.
“Daily we’re missing out on these opportunities,” he said. “Hundreds and even thousands of citizens over a period of time that would be great citizens that we want for Lakeland to make this city its best.”
Failing to plan beyond the current seven-year agreement with ACS also risks sending Lakeland’s middle and high school children to county schools if Arlington grows and has no spare room for Lakeland children by then, Bunker said.
He predicted that would severely hurt the school district’s reputation and have a cascading effect: Lakeland would fall behind in residential development and property values would drop.
Horrell noted that unexpected delays could arise during the building process, and it doesn’t make sense for the city to delay the project for several years and possibly cut the time line too close.
One resident asked what the city is doing to promote commercial development to boost the city’s revenue, and Bunker said the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce is actively pursuing that kind of growth.
Discussion opportunities
This week, a joint town hall meeting between the city and school boards on Aug. 19 let citizens express their thoughts on the school building project and plans to fund it. Watch for that story in the Aug. 28 issue of The Bartlett Express.
The remaining meetings where the Lakeland Prep project will be discussed include:
- 7 p.m. Sept. 8, school board, Lakeland City Hall
- 5:30 p.m. Sept. 23 (updated date), city board, Lakeland City Hall; will include a public hearing and the second and final reading of the ordinance to fund the proposed new school. Note: The regular city board meeting on the second Thursday of the month was rescheduled to this date, not Sept. 16 as discussed previously at the city board’s work session.
Editor’s Note: Check out the Facebook page for The Bartlett Express to view a map of proposed locations for Lakeland Prep. While you’re on the page, be sure to click “Like” and then hover the mouse over the “Liked” button to select “Get Notifications” — that way, you’ll be alerted when we post all the news announcements we receive too late each week or that we run out of room to include in our printed edition.
Written by Carolyn Bahm, Express editor. Contact her at (901) 433-9138 or via email to bartlett.editor@journalinc.com.
