Politics & Government

MCC Board Candidates: What They Said, What They Did

Comparing campaign statements with the facts

As a public service, McLean Patch assesses claims made by candidates running for reelection as many newspapers do.

Today we look at campaign statements made by Susan Bourgeois who is running for election to a second term on the McLean Community Center Board.

Craig Richardson, a second incumbent, is also running for reelection --- but as a write-in candidate.

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He said he decided to run after the deadline for candidates. As a write-in candidate he filed no campaign statements as other candidates are required to do.

Bourgeois Campaign statement: "I have consistently voted for a reduction in the district tax rate to minimize the surplus while keeping in mind that to be “the center of it all,” MCC should have a larger presence in the downtown area leveraging the Old Firehouse successes."

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Fact: Here are the tax rates set and the surplus accumulated by the board during Bourgeois' three years on the board. The numbers are from the MCC budget that accompanies this story:

                Tax Rate    Surplus
FY 2009    .026 cents    $9,8 million
FY 2010    .024 cents    $11.7 million
FY 2011    .024 cents    $12.5 mllion
FY 2012    .023 cents     $12.1 million estimate
FY 2013    .022 cents a decrease of $0.001 effective July 1, 2012  

If you owned a home assessed for $800,000, you paid the McLean Community Center  $208 in 2009 and will pay $176  this year, a savings of $32, or about $10 per year.

During this year's budget deliberations by the board in September 2011, Bourgeois was among a majority of board members who voted against reducing the MCC tax rate by 2 cents.

David Sanders, chair of the Finance Committee, vigorously recommended the two cents citing the growing surplus.

But Bourgeois and board member Robin Walker objected.

The board then agreed to the .022 cent tax rate and approved  its proposed operating budget of nearly $5 million for 2013. That amount plus the $12.6 million surplus give the board a nearly $18 million budget.

Residents of the McLean Community Center tax district can vote in person at McLean Day which is Saturday. The deadline for absentee ballots is 5 pm. today.


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