Nordonia voters to decide bond issue for new school buildings

Staff Report
·4 min read
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When they go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 8, voters in the Nordonia Hills City School District will be asked if they support a bond issue for the construction of new school buildings.

Issue 5 is a 7.75-mill, 37-year bond issue that would generate $165 million over 37 years. The annual cost to homeowners would be about $271 for each $100,000 of valuation.

If approved, the district plans to consolidate its six present structures with three new schools. There would be one kindergarten- through fourth-grade school building where Lee Eaton is now, which would replace Northfield Elementary, Rushwood and Ledgeview elementary schools. In addition, there would be a building for fifth through eighth grades (with fifth and sixth graders in separate wings from seventh and eighth graders) and a new high school building, both constructed at the current high school site.

The current high school and Lee Eaton would be demolished, according to Superintendent Joe Clark. The fate of the other schools (Northfield, Rushwood, the current middle school, and Ledgeview) has not been determined, but while the master plan includes projected costs for demolition, the board of education has said it will investigate all options, including selling the closed buildings and donating them to the municipalities.

The three new buildings would, according to the superintendent, "allow the district to share programming and resources ... to have more equitable class sizes and realize operational savings."

"Our buildings average 71 years old and range from 52 to 106 years old," Superintendent Joe Clark has noted. If Issue 5 passes, he said, "Nordonia students will go to school in comfortable, safe buildings suitable for 21st-century education."

The district currently has two bond levies that will end in the next few years. One bond levy will retire after the collection year 2025 and the other bond levy will retire after the collection year 2030. According to Clark, the retirement of these bond levies will remove approximately 2.86 mills from the tax rolls.

Two levies also on Northfield Center Twp. ballots

Township voters will be asked to approve an additional tax levy for fire/EMS services and a renewal levy for road maintenance when they go to the polls Tuesday.

Issue 35 for fire/EMS would be for 2 mills for a continuous period and would generate about $360,245 annually. If approved, the additional levy would cost the owner of a property assessed at $100,000 about $70 per year.

Voters defeated the 2-mill additional levy in May by a tally of 518 to 505.

“Macedonia’s fire department provides excellent personnel and staffs two stations 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Township Trustees chairman Russ Mazzola has said. “Without the increase, the township would be unable to afford these critical services.

“If this additional fire levy passes, the township would be good for many years. We want residents to know we have done the forward-looking analysis, and we determined we would not need a fire levy increase for at least 12 to 15 years.”

Issue 36, the road levy renewal, is for 2.78 mills and would generate about $170,825 per year for a five-year period. If approved, it would continue to cost the owner of a property assessed at $100,000 about $29 per year.According to the 2022 alternative tax budget, the township has three other road levies on the books, with all four of them generating a total of about $550,000.

If approved by voters, the first collection of the revenue from both issues would be in 2024.

Also on Tuesday's ballot

Other races on Tuesday's ballot are three at-large seats on Summit County Council, the 31st District state House of Representatives post and the state senator seat for the 27th District.

Also on the ballot will be two state issues. Issue 1 would require courts to consider factors like public safety when setting the amount of bail. If approved, the amendment would:

  • Require Ohio courts, when setting the amount of bail, to consider public safety, including the seriousness of the offense, as well as a person’s criminal record, the likelihood a person will return to court, and any other factor the Ohio General Assembly may prescribe.

  • Remove the requirement that the procedures for establishing the amount and conditions of bail be determined by the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Issue 2 deals with elections and would prohibit local government from allowing non-electors to vote. If approved, the proposed amendment would:

  • Require that only a citizen of the United States, who is at least 18 years of age and who has been a legal resident and registered voter for at least 30 days, can vote at any state or local election held in this state.

  • Prohibit local governments from allowing a person to vote in local elections if they are not legally qualified to vote in state elections.

Polls on Tuesday will open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. For information regarding polling locations, ballot language, precinct maps and more, call the Summit County Board of Elections at 330-643-5200 or visit the website at www.boe.ohio.gov/summit/.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Nordonia voters to decide bond issue for new school buildings