It is correct that most students don’t directly pay property tax because most students rent. However, all the owners of apartment complexes or rental houses do pay property tax.
Now, who is paying to stay in those places? Students. Would those places exist without students? No.
Would land remain undeveloped and, therefore, have lower property taxes if students weren’t renting? Absolutely.
When a renter pays rent, included in that sum is the property tax that landlords pass on.
The bottom line is that students spend an awful lot of money in Starkville, many of which finds its way into city and county coffers.
So, yes, students should assert their rights through voting for representatives who support student- and university-friendly city policies. The students have a vested interest in it.
In a separate line of thought, why does Brandon Bogard seem to think that the interests of students and city residents are so far apart?
Pretty much everyone benefits from good city services, quality of life and so on.
The times I attended festivals and concerts in downtown Starkville, I saw a lot of townies.
Same goes for city parks. We all use the same sewer and water system and all would suffer if it didn’t work well.
It’s true that most students don’t have children who attend school.
However, how many MSU students student-teach in Starkville public schools? How many former Starkville students attend MSU? So, yes, students again have a vested interest in how tax monies are spent for education.
And, yes, more students should go to Board of Aldermen meetings, but last time I checked, not too many city folk went to them, either.
Not to excuse students for lack of civic participation, but this is a general problem in pretty much every town in America.
That civic participation problem is not helped by people, especially those who fancy themselves politically involved, encouraging certain groups of people not to participate in a political process available to them simply because they might try to “control the city.”
Given the attitudes of some elected officials, I can think of worse fates.
Wilson Boyd is a graduate of MSU and a former editor-in-chief of The Reflector.