Wednesday, August 11, 1999
Board moves toward fall levy vote
BY MIRIAM SMITH
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SPRINGBORO — The Springboro school board took the first step Tuesday toward placing a new tax on the November ballot to help pay for more staff.
Even if the issue passed, the district still would have to cut projected spending by $150,000 annually, said Superintendent Gary Meier.
Restoration of spending would be deferred to a permanent improvement levy and the renewal of an operating levy in 2000. Neither of those would increase taxes, he said.
The board voted 3-2 for a resolution of necessity for a 3.3-mill operating levy to generate $1.4 million annually for five years. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $101.96 annually.
The county auditor has to approve the millage, and the board is expected to vote on the issue again at its Aug. 17 meeting.
Three operating levies have failed in Springboro in the last two years. Officials have said they will not be able to open the newly renovated Springboro Elementary School because they don't have the money to staff it.
The tax approved Tuesday is less than the smallest of three proposals — 3.86 mills — that Mr. Meier presented to the board last month.
“It's not going to have any impact on our ability to open the building or our ability to hire teachers,” Mr. Meier said earlier Tuesday.
Board Vice President Diane Trifiro offered the smaller tax at the meeting as a “compromise” since two other board members wanted to wait until March to place an issue on the ballot.
“I guess I feel like it failed three times and we need to take that into consideration, and a lower amount might help,” she said.
The two members who wanted to wait, board President Bruce Blume and Gary Ihle, cast no-votes again Tuesday.
Clearcreek Township resident Jim Rigano asked whether the two would support the fall levy.
Mr. Blume emphasized he thought the issue would have a better chance of passing in March. “I mean, I'm not gonna campaign against this.”
Mrs. Trifiro asked each board member to invite a resident to meet with Mr. Meier and Treasurer Pamela Ashbaugh to go over the proposed budget and report to the community whether they will support the levy.
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