The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Greenon may seek two levies in May

1-2 inches of snow in Friday forecast
New 1 min. ago
Emphasis on STEM fields helps students, businesses
New 10 min. ago
Ohio leaders preparing defense of bases amidst closures
New 17 min. ago
OVI checkpoint slated Friday
5:43 p.m.
Birth control mandate causing major stir
11:38 a.m.
> More headlines

By Megan Gildow, Staff Writer 5:45 PM Monday, February 8, 2010

ENON — Greenon Local Schools board members will decide this week whether to move forward with two planned levies for the May 4 ballot.

The Greenon Board of Education will meet Thursday, Feb. 11, and is expected to vote on resolutions to place a 3-mill property tax and a 0.75-percent income tax levies, both for operating expenses, on the ballot.

If approved by voters in May, the five-year, 3-mill property tax levy would cost $92 a year for the owner a $100,000 home.

The 0.75-percent ongoing income tax would cost $300 a year for a $40,000 income and would not include pensions, social security or unemployment benefits.

This will be the first time since 1996 that Greenon has sought new funding for operations from its local taxpayers, said Treasurer Dawn Weller.

But costs continue to rise and the district lost about $500,000 in taxes recently due to the elimination of personal tangible property tax, a tax on equipment of businesses.

“It is a horrible time to dig into the community’s pocket books but we have prolonged the need to go on the ballot as long as we can through budget reductions,” Weller said.

Greenon postponed putting a levy on the ballot last spring by reducing personnel, purchased services, professional development, equipment, supplies and software to shave $750,000 off the budget.

The board initially intended to combine the property tax and income tax into one issue but discovered that was not allowed in Ohio for this type of levy, said Weller.

“We do need both levies to pass,” she said.

Officials wanted to divide the burden instead of seeking just a property tax or the 1 percent or higher income tax it would need to sustain the district’s finances, she said.

The board meets at 7 p.m. Thursday in the media center of Indian Valley Middle School.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0373 or mgildow@coxohio.com.

Share this article