BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer Contributor
FAIRFIELD -- Passage of a state sales tax increase May 5 would not provide Fairfield City Schools with enough money to eliminate a projected $2 million deficit by June 1999, administrator say.
"Based on the amounts of money we've been told we will receive, we anticipate an operating levy on the August or November ballot," Superintendent Charles Wiedenmann told the school board recently. It is too early to determine the amount or length of levy that is needed because the district is beginning contract negotiations with teachers and details of the school funding formula are not yet clear, said James Rowan, district treasurer.
If Issue 2 passes, the state sales tax would climb from 5 cents on the dollar to 6 cents, generating about $1.1 billion. Half of the proceeds would go to schools and the rest for property-tax relief.
Mr. Wiedenmann said he wants the community to know that proceeds from Issue 2 will not be enough for Fairfield to maintain existing programs and the district will still need to be on the ballot in 1998 or cuts will have to be made.
He gave board members a sample resolution opposing Issue 2 and asked the board to consider it at its April 23 meeting.
Both Mr. Rowan and Mr. Wiedenmann have stated their opposition to the sales tax increase.
"We've got as much confusion this year as last year," Mr. Rowan said. "We have no idea what our funding will be after 1999."
In November, Fairfield voters approved a two-mill levy that district educators said would provide a one-year fix to Fairfield's money woes. That levy allowed the district to cancel building budget cuts, a field-trip ban and a reduction in the maintenance budget that had been imposed.
"We said it a year ago -- this (two-mill levy) was just a one-year solution," Mr. Wiedenmann said.
Fairfield voters May 5 will decide whether to renew a two-mill, five-year permanent improvement levy that will not increase taxes but will provide $760,000 each year for building repairs.
Should that levy fail, money for repairs and a state mandated emergency fund would have to come out of the general fund and could increase the anticipated deficit, Mr. Rowan said.
"We will have to come up with a contingency plan to balance the (1998-99) budget by July 1 because we have to balance the budget," Mr. Rowan said.
Work on that contingency plan has not yet begun, but it might include some of the same items as last year's contingency plan, Mr. Wiedenmann said.
Should the board decide to put a money issue on the Aug. 4 special election, the deadline for doing so is May 21, according to the Butler County Board of Elections.
