Louisville school tax rejected, renewals for Massillon, Marlington and Buckeye Career pass
Louisville school officials will begin evaluating their next steps this week after voters defeated the district’s request for a substitute levy to support school operations.
Meanwhile, voters in Marlington Local, Massillon City Schools and the Buckeye Career Center approved the renewal levies for their respective school systems, unofficial election results show.
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Unofficial election results show that nearly 57% of the 7,500 Louisville City School District voters who cast a ballot by Tuesday rejected the district's 3.8-mill, continuing substitute tax levy. Issue 4 would have replaced a 5.9-mill, five-year emergency operating levy that voters originally passed in 2013.
District officials said because Ohio laws don’t allow emergency levies to generate more revenue when property values increase, the existing 5.9-mill levy has been effectively collecting at 3.8 mills to keep generating the same $1.8 million a year for the district. By seeking a substitute levy instead of a traditional renewal levy, school officials said the district would be able to collect additional revenue in subsequent years if new housing developments are built within district boundaries without changing how much existing property owners pay.
A precinct-by-precinct breakdown of the results shows that Issue 4 failed in 12 of the district’s 16 precincts with no votes cast in one precinct.
The existing 5.9-mill levy expires in December 2023. Its revenue accounts for 6.3% of the district’s operating revenue and is used to pay for expenses such as salaries, utilities, fuel and supplies.
Issue 6: Massillon’s renewal passes
Massillon voters agreed to renew a 6.5-mill, five-year operating levy that generates $3.4 million annually for the district of nearly 3,900 students. The levy was first approved by voters in 2012.
Unofficial election results show that 52.4% of the roughly 7,900 voters who submitted a ballot by Tuesday approved Issue 6. The levy will cost an owner of a $100,000 home roughly $199 a year.
The levy will continue to fund day-to-day operations, including paying teacher salaries and benefits, providing safety and security and maintaining and improving the technology used in the schools. It is separate from the district’s new schools and high school renovation projects.
Issue 7: Marlington’s renewal approved
Voters in the Marlington Local School District agreed to renew an 8.5-mill general operating levy that generates nearly $3.2 million annually for the district of nearly 1,900 students.
Unofficial election results show that 58.9% of the roughly 6,100 voters who cast a ballot by Tuesday approved the tax issue known as Issue 7.
The five-year levy will continue to cost the owner of a $100,000 home $165 a year.
Buckeye Career Center’s renewal passes
Voters in portions of Bethlehem and Pike townships joined Buckeye Career Center voters in seven other counties in approving the career center’s 10-year renewal levy.
Unofficial election results show that 65% of the more than 38,500 voters who cast a ballot by Tuesday approved the 1.8-mill operating levy for the career technical school in New Philadelphia. The levy, which was first approved in 1973, will continue to generate $6.4 million a year for the school, which attracts students from Tuscarawas, Carroll, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Holmes, Stark and Wayne counties.
In Stark County, 109 voters supported the levy while 105 didn’t, unofficial results show.
According to the Tuscarawas County auditor, the owner of a $100,000 home will continue to pay $43.68 per year.
Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.
On Twitter: @kweirREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Louisville tax fails, renewals for Massillon, Marlington, Buckeye pass
