LOUDONVILLE — Loudonville-Perrysville residents will vote in the next election on a 2.05-mill renewal levy, which funds the day-to-day operations of the school district.
The district’s board of directors voted unanimously July 12 to put the renewal on the November ballot. Voters first passed the operating levy in 2013.
If voters renew it in November, it would run for ten years, generating $412,463 per year and over $4 million over the duration of the decade.
“It is used for such things as educational supplies, salaries, utilities, maintenance, etc.,” treasurer Christine Angerer wrote in an email to Ashland Source. “These funds are also used to maintain the buildings.”
The levy funds are not put in a specific fund or used for a specific project, Angerer wrote.
A school levy is a tax on property to financially support schools in Ohio. There are operating levies, which support the operation of a school district, and bond issues, which support construction and maintenance of a school district’s property.
The district has two 10-year operating levies and one 5-year permanent improvement levy. Loudonville-Perrysville’s permanent improvement levy is not enough to cover all maintenance costs, so operating levies also go toward maintenance, Angerer wrote.
The levy would not add new taxes if renewed by the district.
Residents with an average home price of $100,000.00 will continue to owe $61.25 annually in property taxes, Angerer wrote.
“The finance committee reviewed the district’s finances and determined no additional monies would be needed at this time,” school board president John Carroll wrote in an email. “The recommendation was for a levy renewal only and not ask for additional funds from the taxpayers. The board unanimously agreed with this recommendation.”
Carroll wrote that the levy was vital to district operations.
“A failure, combined with the unpredictable nature of Ohio’s school funding, would create an incredibly difficult and destabilizing scenario for the district,” Carroll wrote.
If the district does not renew the levy in November, the district would need to balance funds by cutting operations, Carroll wrote.
“Asking for financial support from the community is not something to be taken lightly or for granted, and taxpayers can be assured this request is both necessary and prudent,” Carroll wrote.
