Reading's Prop 2 1/2: Paying for Your Kids or My Retirement?

By Bob Holmes, Patch Correspondent

The signs of fall are everywhere in Reading these days. Pumpkins, scarecrows, and ghosts dot the landscape of the community boarded by 128 to the south, 93 to the west.

But there are other signs.

My neighbors' lawns, many of them, have a small orange sign with blue letters, "Yes for Reading."

The signs are in support of the special Oct. 18 vote to override the 1980 law known as Prop 2 1/2 and increase our taxes. Without the $7.5 million the increase would provide, supporters say the community — specifically the schools — will suffer. The signs urging a no vote are invisible, or at least few and far between.

But here's the thing. In 2003, the year of the last override vote, I knew how to vote. With two kids in the Reading school system, when I was asked to support a tax increase to help the schools I voted yes without hesitation. Nothing was as important to me as making sure my children's school was the best it could be. More taxes? Pile'm on.

But now? Things have changed and for the first time I don't know how to vote. The problem is, my kids are out of school, with lives of their own. And me? I've become one of those old people — Ok, 58 isn't that old — who don't want to see their taxes raised. I don't have a horse in the race anymore. Why should I vote yes and pay more for something I don't use?

It's not an easy decision. Our schools are a reason so many move to Reading, and at least part of the reason our home values have soared. But how much is enough? We just improved the library, correct? Every road in town is being repaired, or so it seems. We just fixed up the high school. Do we really have to spend more? And most importantly, can I afford the almost $1,000 tax increase? Like it or not, I'm thinking my retirement is more important to me than someone else's kids.

A recent letter to the editor said voting yes was the right thing to do for the future of Reading. I hate those obscure, no-specifics arguments. If I want hollow words I'll listen to Hillary and Trump (another fall vote on the horizon). I guess the bigger question is when am I allowed to be selfish? When is it ok to look at what's good for me and my wife?

I really have no idea how I'll vote. I may get into the voting booth and say, "Ah heck, what's a few more dollars." But I could also look at the increased taxes and say "enough is enough."

For the first time, I'm not sure what I'll do.

Image via shutterstock