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Trimble Schools To Discuss Future Options After Failed Levy
By: Arian Smedley | Athens Messenger
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With another failed levy on the books and projections of deficit spending by fiscal year 2016, Trimble Local School officials say they’ll have to reevaluate their options.
“I will converse with the board to determine the next steps,” said Supt. Kim Jones on Wednesday.
The district could decide to put the permanent improvement levy in front of voters for a fourth time, but Board President Stephen Miller doesn’t see that happening.
Other options include proposing a different kind of levy or requesting to move inside mills into a permanent improvement fund. Moving inside mills would bring in approximately $150,000 per year, according to Treasurer Cindy Rhonemus. This would, in effect, cause property taxes to increase, she added. Before moving forward with this plan, the board would hold a public hearing.
No decisions have been made, but Rhonemus recommends moving the inside mills.
“The fact remains that we still need a dedicated stream of funds that can be used for permanent improvements, as opposed to eating into our operating dollars that need to be used to educate children,” Rhonemus said via email.
The school board discussed the possibility of moving inside mills after the levy failed in May, but they ultimately decided to wait, Miller said.
He went on to say he was shocked to see the community’s support of other tax issues. Athens County’s EMS levy and levies in Buchtel, Glouster, Trimble and Jacksonville all passed.
“It blows me away,” Miller said. “What’s really important are children and where they attend school. I really think deep down they don’t think it’s dire. Maybe we’re doing too good a job. There’s no way that anybody could look at the books and say we haven’t done the best we can with the resources we have. There’s no fluff anywhere.”