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Make wise choice on school levies

Several local communities and school districts cite state budget cuts as the reason they are asking taxpayers for tax increases in the May primary.

When Ohio plugged an $8 billion budget deficit three years ago, some cuts were made to local governments and schools. Still, 85 percent of the state’s general budget goes to local governments. So naturally local governments shared in the burden of plugging the $8 billion deficit.

Now taxpayers in several local communities and school districts must decide if they, too, want to share in the burden by increasing taxes. We offer the following information that voters might also want to consider before rendering a decision.

Howland

Over the last several years the district has cut 37 positions – teachers, administrators and support staff. Employees have accepted a base wage freeze for the last six years.

With the levy increase Howland would add all-day, everyday kindergarten. It would otherwise be the only Trumbull County district without the service.

Much of the money would also be spent on technology. The high school has about 1,000 students but only 90 computers, including 20 always in use in computer classes. Next year’s English and math state tests must be administered electronically.

The school board does not plan to announce what would happen if the levy fails.

Howland taxpayers will be assessed a 2.1-mill levy when the high school affiliates with the Trumbull Career and Technical Center beginning with the 2015-16 school year. That will cost $65 for every $100,000 in property value and would raise $1.1 million annually. That money goes to TCTC; Howland saves the $400,000 it currently pays the Ashtabula technical center.

The levy on the May ballot would cost an additional $136 per year for every $100,000 in property value and would raise $2 million annually.

Weathersfield

The township passed police levies in 1990 and 1998. In 2008 it replaced those two with a single levy that officials are trying to replace again in May. A replacement adjusts the tax to current property values. If this replacement fails, the tax stays at its current rate.

Trustees have accomplished many cost-saving, shared services agreements including a collaborative purchasing of equipment through the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, fuel purchasing with the city of Niles, prisoner transport with Niles, a Special Response Team with Niles and regional dispatching with Trumbull County.

The replacement would cost an additional $44.02 per year for every $100,000 in property value and would raise $134,000 annually.

With the money, the department plans to go from eight to nine full-time officers, add more time in schools and increase community affairs.

Liberty

As Liberty emerges from fiscal caution and has wiped out a large debt, its roads have begun to crumble. By switching to the countywide dispatching operation current trustees eliminated a 1.25-mill levy. They now want 1.25 mills back for road repairs.

The levy would cost $43.50 for every $100,000 in property value. It would raise about $266,000 annually. It would actually generate considerably more since the township would use much of it as matches for state and federal funding.

Among cost-saving measures was not replacing the road department supervisor who retired.

Trustees have already created the list of roads that would be replaced over the five-year duration of the levy.

Taxpayers could be stinging from a 4 percent raise granted to firefighters this year and a similar increase expected soon for police officers.

Mathews

Mathews has a physically deplorable, 100-plus-year-old high school. The bond would pay for a K-12 complex at the site of Baker Elementary.

The $29.6 million project would receive $5.6 million in state funding. Mathews taxpayers would pay for the remaining $24 million plus about $750,000 annually for locally funded initiatives associated with the project.

For the next 37 years, taxpayers would pay $327 per year for every $100,000 in property value.

Mathews voters increased taxes in 2012 with a 4.65-mill additional levy.

Teachers accepted a wage freeze for the next three years and agreed to pay an additional 5 percent of their health care premiums. A similar agreement is expected with non-teachers. Previously, employees conceded medical and prescription reimbursements and caps on sick leave accumulation, which reduced severance payments.

Mathews High School was rated second-worst on a statewide list of ”exceptional needs” schools. The new complex would also replace Baker and Currie schools.

Voters rejected a bond proposal in 2008. The difference is that in 2008 Mathews would have had to foot the entire bill and then collect the state portion later when the district worked its way onto the state list of school construction projects.

Newton

The township wants 0.5 mills for upkeep of its seven cemeteries.

Village residents also vote on this levy. That puts the township levy in peril because village voters will be deciding on an income tax increase; it’s difficult enough to get taxpayers to agree to one additional increase.

The cemetery levy lost 53-47 in the township’s last attempt.

Cemetery upkeep is one of the few services townships are required to provide.

If the levy fails Newton would most likely need to charge more for families that use the cemeteries. That means everybody will pay the same regardless of income.

Much of the money has to be used to maintain the cemeteries that are inactive, which is most of the seven.

This would cost $17.50 per year for every $100,000 in property value. It would raise about $63,000 annually.

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