Coshocton Schools seeking substitute emergency levy in primary
COSHOCTON − Coshocton City Schools Board of Education voted to place a substitute emergency property tax levy on the May 2 primary ballot, during a recent special meeting. The levy would be continuing.
Ballot language needs to be finalized through the Coshocton County Board of Elections and the millage confirmed with the Coshocton County Auditor's Office to produce the $900,000 the current levy has generated in the past. Superintendent David Hire said this is usually around 5.3 mills. The board should approve those elements at its regular meeting on Thursday.
The current emergency levy was first approved by voters in 2008 and goes toward general operations.
"The school obviously still needs these funds," Hire said. "We can't live without that $900,000."
The board decided to try the substitute levy as it would allow them to draw funding from new builds. The current emergency levy generates funds only from existing properties. Treasurer Terri Eyerman said this could be significant if the Intel chip plant being built in Licking County leads to construction of new businesses and homes in Coshocton County.
"If Intel brings us growth, that may mean new construction, and we would be setting ourselves up as a district to capture those additional dollars," Eyerman said.
The new levy could also be continuing, where the current levy could only go up to 10 years. Hire said certain rollbacks and homestead exemptions some residents have now would carryover.
If the new levy would not pass, the board would still have the November general election to try again or renew the current levy. Hire said it will be important to educate voters on this not being a new tax. The name and ballot language might be different, but it's no more than what they've paid in the past.
"You think about inflation, you think about cost of a dollar, you think about trying to eliminate future efforts of going for new monies, from that perspective it makes some sense," Hire said of going for the substitute levy. "Unknowns are what's going to happen with the state budget and what's going to happen eventually with inflation."
Board President Phil Hunt said he does worry about voter fatigue and he doesn't want to wear out goodwill by being on the ballot so much. Board member Dr. Jere Butcher said he was pleased with voter support in the past.
"I've been so happy with the community support," Butcher said. "Voters have always supported our schools with good passage rates."
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Coshocton Schools seeking substitute emergency levy in primary
