Tribe has debt for school debt service fund

The superintendent of the La Conner School District met with the tax committee of the Swinomish Tribe last Thursday. He asked for $500,000 for the general fund and $100,000 for the capital fund. He also presented a list of projects for funding. He did not ask for a contribution toward the $1,348,499 debt service fund. This is the fund that pays the bond that financed the middle school.

Roughly 34% of the students are Native American. The Tribe’s fair share for debt service would be $458,490. There are 2,295 non-Indian taxpayers in the district. Each taxpayer, on average, pays $200 that the Tribe should pay.

On August 11 I wrote to the superintendent, asking him to seek a contribution for debt service and to amend the bond levy. I attended the September and October school board meetings and spoke at each meeting. There has been no response from either the board or the superintendent. In the packet for the Nov. 22 meeting of the school board there is an explanation. It says: “the Tribe has no legal obligation to contribute to debt service.” That may be true, but it is also true that the Tribe has no legal obligation to contribute to any district that suffered a tax loss from the Great Wolf Lodge decision.

The school board has decided that the taxpayers must continue paying the total debt service for the bond. That is not fair.

In 2021 the Swinomish Tax Authority sought to collect $2,142,480 in taxes from Shelter Bay and Pull & Be Damned. After the contributions, exemptions, taxes shared with the county and uncollectible taxes, they had $1,009,711 left. Surely, they can afford to contribute to debt service.

Sincerely,

Dan O’Donnell

La Conner