Final, unofficial results from the Montgomery County Board of Elections showed the Centerville Schools tax levy approved by voters, with 52.1% of voters in favor, and 47.9% of voters against it, with many votes still to be counted.
Beavercreek school project
Beavercreek Superintendent Paul Otten said Tuesday night that voters’ rejection of the $265 million bond issue means that the district will be unable to address “pressing facility needs” due to the city’s growth.
“We are disappointed that the bond issue did not pass, as it would have enabled us to address the significant capacity concerns facing our district,” Otten said. “Our enrollment will continue to rise and now the Board of Education will consider what next steps are necessary to meet our capacity challenges.”
Beavercreek’s 4.9-mill bond issue would have cost a homeowner within the school district an additional $172 annually for each $100,000 of appraised real estate value ($258 for a $150K home, $516 for a $300K home), according to the Greene County Auditor’s Office. The bond would be paid off over the course of up to 37 years.
If voters were to approve the multimillion-dollar bond issue, the district will build a new high school, relieving facility pressure on a district that is expected to rapidly grow, according to school officials.
About $260 million of the $265 million total project would go toward constructing a new high school complex at an 89-acre property on the southeast corner of South Alpha Bellbrook Road and Indian Ripple Road. The site is in Beavercreek Twp., just south of the Russ Research Center property, a half-mile west of The Narrows Reserve.
Approval would trigger a domino effect of other changes. The current high school would be renovated into a middle school, and Ferguson Hall would be used for alternatives like working with the Greene County Career Center. Coy and Ankeney middle schools would be converted to elementary schools. Main Elementary would be renovated into district central offices, and the current offices off of Kemp Road would become a centralized preschool.
In addition to the school building itself, the new high school campus would have a 1,200-seat theater, a roughly 5,500-seat football stadium, a 1,000-seat soccer stadium, practice fields for sports and marching band, and 1,400 parking spaces.
Public opinion is a mix of supporters citing already-crowded buildings, and opposition saying the plan is too expensive because good teachers are more important than nice buildings.
Centerville schools’ third try
Centerville’s new, 3.9 mill-, permanent tax levy will raise about $11.2 million per year for daily operating costs of the schools.
Centerville school district voters had previously rejected two recent tax levy requests — shooting down a larger levy by a 57-43 ratio in November 2023 and nixing a smaller tax by a 53-47 vote in March. The schools are asking voters to reconsider the smaller one Nov. 5.
”We’re extremely thankful to the community for supporting the schools this time around and really showing up for it,” said Centerville Board of Education President Allison Durnbaugh. “The voter turnout was incredible.”
Durnbaugh also thanked the levy committee and the hundreds of volunteers who worked to publicize the levy to voters and relate the importance of its approval for the district.
Other levies
Montgomery County
The city of Clayton asked voters for a third time to change their income tax structure, increasing the city tax by 1%, offset by also giving residents full credit for city taxes paid to other jurisdictions. That measure was approved by a 53.8-46.2 ration.
Mad River schools, a district in Riverside, sought a 2.9-mill levy for building repair and maintenance that would be permanent. That measure is being rejected by a 51.2-48.8% ratio.
Greene County
In addition to the school levy, city of Beavercreek voters are considering a 0.49-mill permanent tax levy for parks that would in part cover existing costs, fund two new full-time maintenance workers and a staff member for the Beavercreek Senior Center. It would also go towards equipment replacement, ADA accessibility work and other improvements. The levy cost would be $17 per $100,000 of home value.
As of 11:35 p.m., it was being soundly rejected with 60% of voters rejecting the levy, and 40% in favor of it.
Greeneview is making its third and final attempt at a combined bond issue and permanent improvement levy, so the district can get money from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to build schools. This time, Greeneview has removed athletic facilities from its plans, focusing instead entirely on academic spaces.
As of 11:35 p.m., it was being rejected with 59.6% of voters against the school levy.
Miami County
Voter in the Milton-Union schools district rejected a 10-year, 0.75% school income tax request for daily expenses by a 60.2-39.8 ratio.
Harveysburg holds status quo
The small Warren County village of Harveysburg, with a population of about 550, was voting on whether to dissolve their village government altogether and be absorbed into Massie Twp., officials said. But voters decided Tuesday NOT to surrender the village’s corporate powers.
In unofficial final results, 68% were against the measure and 32% in favor.
Meanwhile, voters were also basically voting to hold the status quo on five other items — rejecting an operating tax levy, a police levy, and voting down referendums to overturn recent ordinances on new taxes and fees.
