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West Geauga goes for emergency levy renewal
(by Sue Hoffman - August 13, 2009)
West Geauga goes for emergency levy renewal
By SUE HOFFMAN
The West Geauga School Board voted Monday to send a five-year emergency levy renewal to the Nov. 3 ballot.
The levy would generate $2.35 million annually. Tax collections would begin on Jan. 1, 2011, immediately after the 2005 five-year renewal levy expires.
The 3.53-mill levy would cost homeowners $108 annually per $100,000 of market value, which is the same as what they're now paying, district Treasurer Michele Tullai said.
School board President William Beers and members Kathy Leavenworth, Sally Gillmore and Dean Patterson voted for the levy. Board member Michael Kilroy abstained after asking several questions about the timing of the levy.
"My larger concern is, to get levies passed, we have to show we have changed our old review processes," Mr. Kilroy said. "I would rather have an investigation of our true operating costs, especially in the midst of a recession or depression."
School Superintendent Anthony Podojil said the renewal levy "will hold us steady until the next decision point in 2012." At that time, the state will have its next biennial budget, and district will have additional costs to consider, such as full-day kindergarten, he said. "We have analyzed all of the data we have, the biennium budget is in place, and we'll know where we'll be the next two years."
Mr. Kilroy asked about the effect of putting the levy on the ballot in May 2010 rather than in November 2009.
Dr. Podojil said, since budgeting for the 2010-2011 school year has to be completed by the end of April, the district would have to lay off staff to stay within the budget. "The treasurer and I can't budget what's not established to be collected," he said.
Then, if the levy passes in May, "we would recall everyone," he said. "I have gone through that several times in my career. It is very disruptive," Dr. Podojil said.
"If we pass the levy in November, we start doing the budget at the end of January." He said the $1.175 million coming into the district from tax collections from January through June 2011 "is a pretty hefty amount" in planning the budget.
If the renewal levy passes, the cash balance at the end of fiscal 2012 is estimated to be $843,971 instead of a negative balance of $2.68 million, according to Mrs. Tullai.
"This is asking to have a smooth transition without disrupting programs," Mrs. Gillmore said. When layoffs occurred in the past, "good people left us." She said the levy passage in November allows the board to know "that we have the money to plan for the following school year."
Costs of the election are lower in November, Dr. Podojil said. In November, polls will be open for the school board election. He said the cost of the levy election will drop down because of other ballot issues. An election in May would be more costly, he said, when the polls may not be open for other matters.
Mr. Kilroy said one of his concerns is that the board needs to be prepared with more information for the public. He said at a recent financial committee meeting, there had been no discussion of the cost savings instituted by the district. He said in past levies, "People were told every line had been vetted."
Dr. Podojil said the district has worked at reducing costs, and "we announce them when we get them." He said in July the district had a meeting at which Energy Ed, of Texas, reported that the district was on target for reductions in the costs of utilities. This month, the district received a check of $21,000 in rebates from its participation in Ohio Schools Council's natural gas program.
"At the last employee negotiation, we saved over $1 million in salaries," Dr. Podojil said, when teachers accepted zero raises the first year and 0.5 percent the second and third years of their contract. At that time, teachers elsewhere were receiving raises of 2 percent and 3 percent, he said. "We are probably the lowest in the region. That has had the biggest impact on the budget," he said.
"To say we haven't given any evidence of cost reduction -- I respectfully disagree," he said.
Dr. Podojil said, once the emergency renewal levy is passed, the next decision point would be the 5.6-mill levy, which will come up for renewal in 2012. The levy, adopted in 2007, generates $3.7 million annually.
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