Letter to the editor: Time for a referendum?

The lead article in the Jan. 26, 2023, edition of the Sewickley Herald states the potential 2023 QVSD tax increase will be within the ACT 1 index. This would be a hike of 4.1% or less on your 2023 QV property bill, but they hope to hold the increase to 3.4%.

This letter is not about the building of the new school. Yes, we know something needs to be done about the outdated high school. Building a new school or rebuilding on the existing property is debatable. There are many opinions on this subject. But, my writing this letter is not about the debate — my question is this:

If we are in an inflationary market, why has the school board not told us what this is doing to the estimated price of the new proposed high school? The board has been saying for the last five years that it is going to cost $85-$90 million. Is inflation not affecting what the new school will cost? With inflation estimates that I have seen, this now puts the costs of the new school to be between $120-$125 million. If inflation is affecting taxes, then I think it is affecting building costs?

I ask the board to please let the people know what the projected costs of the new school will be when building starts. The new school needs to go to a referendum as I believe this price violates the school district’s non-referendum borrowing authority.

Please contact your school board representative for an explanation.

Robert L. Steup

Edgeworth