Wednesday, March 1, 2000
Deer Park, Mariemont, Madeira, Three Rivers schools
BY SARA J. BENNETT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Voters in four Hamilton County school districts are being asked to approve higher taxes for things such as computers, building repairs and everyday expenses from utility bills to text books.
Madeira, Deer Park, and Three Rivers have levies on the March 7 ballot. Mariemont has a bond issue that would pay for several improvements, including an addition to the high school.
While all levy-seeking districts want the money for general operating expenses, Deer Park plans to put 1.3 mills of its 7.99-mill continuing levy toward capital improvements and new technology for students.
The need for money to improve and maintain facilities hit home last year when heavy post-holiday rains sent water pouring through the roof of Deer Park's high school auditorium, Superintendent Barbara Hammel said.
“We had to spend $150,000 (to fix it) ... and that took us much closer to the edge,” she said. “As much as anything, the levy is to protect the community's property.”
Part of the requested levy would go toward buying computers and software for students, and to train teachers to use the new technology. If approved, the levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 house an additional $244.69 a year. Currently, that homeowner pays around $900 a year in school taxes.
The levy is expected to generate $1.4 million a year.
Although she knows of no organized opposition to the levy, Ms. Hammel does fear voter apathy. The district's last levy passed in 1995, and that was on the third try, she said.
“My concern is that there will be people who are supportive of education but just don't come out and vote,” she said. “We've tried not to make it a threat, but if this levy doesn't pass, we will have to make over $350,000 in cuts in the next school year.”
Here are details of other school-related ballot issues:
• In Mariemont, a 2.23-mill, 25-year bond issue is expected to raise just over $8 million for a laundry list of improvements to the district's facilities.
They include: Adding a gymnasium, locker and shower rooms, a training room and meeting space to the high school; building walls in the high school to change its design from open space to more traditional classrooms; replacing boilers and roofs in several buildings; and updating science technology.
The bond issue's impact on voters should not be that great, District Treasurer Natalie Lucas said, because a 2-mill improvement levy that was on the tax rolls expired in December.
The bond issue is expected to cost the owner of a house valued at $100,000 an additional $68.29 a year to what was owed in 2000. This year, that homeowner pays about $1,156 in taxes to the school district.
The last time the district had a bond issue was 1970, and that was to build the high school, Ms. Lucas said.
• The new, 8.9-mill continuing levy before Madeira voters “is just to continue our record of excellence,” Superintendent Michele Hummel said. “There are no bells and whistles.”
It's been seven years since voters approved new money for the district, and prices have gone up since then on everything from gasoline for buses and electricity to text books, Ms. Hummel said.
The levy is expected to generate $1.6 million a year. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 house an additional $311 annually. Now that homeowner pays $1,136.98 a year in school taxes.
• Supporters of the levy before Three Rivers district residents are trying to keep voters from getting confused by the language they will see on the March ballot.
Although the ballot shows the district seeking an 8.2-mill continuing levy, the tax increase to voters is really less. That's because the levy replaces a 4.9-mill emergency levy that is scheduled to end in January, and a 1.0-mill technology levy also scheduled to expire.
“We're working to inform people that we don't want an additional 8.2 on top of what they are already paying,” said Marianne Rudisell, chair of the levy committee. “We want to replace the 4.9 and 1.0 mills they are already paying, and then we are asking for some additional money.”
That additional money will go toward expenses brought on by inflation, growth and anticipated loss of tax money from the Miami Fort power plant because of utilities deregulation.
Money from the levy will help cover expenses from transportation to summer swim and other recreational programs.
The levy is expected to generate an estimated additional $1.16 million a year for the district. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $93 a year. Currently, that homeowner pays roughly $700 a year in school district taxes that include the millage scheduled to expire.
Although she knew of no organized opposition, Ms. Rudisell said she hoped confusion would not hinder efforts to get it passed.
“I really think the (ballot) language here is going to be the biggest opposition we're going to face,” she said.
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