Aldermen leery of 'Promise' timeline
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By Sheena Dooley | Thursday, December 13, 2007 |
City aldermen in Davenport said they support the idea of helping the city’s high school graduates pay for college, but have too many unanswered questions to move the program forward on the timeline set forth by the mayor.
The City Council’s five-member Community Development committee will decide today whether to bring the possibility of a referendum to the full council for a Dec. 19 vote. At-large Alderman Jamie Howard, who chairs the committee, and two other members said they doubt enough support exists to move it out of committee, citing lack of information.
“This program is ludicrous in its setup and questionable at best,” said Alderman Shawn Hamerlinck, second ward.
“The mayor through his entire term has been completely ineffective in communicating with aldermen. The mayor and the city administrator, I am fully confident, are using this as a legacy vote.”
Hamerlinck favors the idea behind Davenport Promise. “Anytime that we are looking to educate youth it’s a fantastic thing,” he said.
Mayor Ed Winborn announced his plan last Friday to ask the City Council to put a measure to fund Davenport Promise on a spring ballot.
Under his plan, the City Council would decide on a ballot measure during its Dec. 19 meeting allowing for the spring referendum. If voters approved the reallocation of a majority of the $13 million generated from a 1-cent sales tax to pay for the program, Davenport’s 2008 graduates would be the first to benefit.
Winborn said he spoke with aldermen last week before making his announcement and seven said they supported the program but had questions about it.
“There is plenty of time between now and when the referendum would be on the ballot to answer those questions,” Winborn said. “I did have the support. I had seven votes. If people want to change their mind there is nothing I can do about it.”
City leaders are looking at the Promise as a way to boost economic development by creating a more skilled work force, growing the population and luring more businesses to the city.
Under the program, college-bound students living in Davenport would receive a scholarship to pay for all or part of their tuition and mandatory fees, depending on how long they have lived in the city. Students could use the money to attend public and private four-year schools and community colleges. They could also use it to pay tuition to a vocational or trade school.
A collection of business, school and city leaders have spent the past seven months hammering out details for the program that range from how to pay for it to who would be eligible. The task force announced in September it wanted to fund the Promise, which is expected to cost $12 million a year once four years of graduates are enrolled in college, with money generated from the city’s 1-cent sales tax.
Some aldermen said Wednesday they were surprised at the mayor’s announcement last week because they have not formally discussed the proposal or been given a fully developed plan. At least two said they had not been provided with any information regarding the proposed program.
Before they consider a vote to hold a referendum, aldermen said they need answers to questions that they have been asking for the last seven months, such as the program’s impact on the city’s budget.
Money currently generated from the 1-cent sales tax pays for property tax relief and capital improvements. Those improvements have included the new police department building and street and sewer projects.
Aldermen said they are unclear on where they would get money to pay for similar projects once the money is redirected to the Promise.
To help the city absorb the loss in funding, the task force called for a gradual phasing in of the reallocation. The first year, only 30 percent of the $13 million generated from the tax would go to fund the Promise. That amount would increase each year until 2011 when 90 percent would be used. The remaining 10 percent would go to the city’s police and fire departments.
The hope is that by the time the funding is fully shifted over to pay for the program the city’s population will have increased along with its tax base.
“The ultimate decision comes from the voters,” said Alderman Jeff Justin, sixth ward. “When we have our plan together and all of our questions are answered the voters have the right to decide. I don’t feel that’s the case right now.”
Sheena Dooley can be contacted at (563) 383-2363 or sdooley@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
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