Schools, parks headline Greene County tax issues on November ballot

Greene County voters will consider several tax levy requests by local governments this November.

Beavercreek City Schools, Yellow Springs Village Schools, and Greeneview Local Schools all have major ballot issues on this November, and Beavercreek residents will also be asked to consider two sets of changes to the city charter.

The Beavercreek Parks and Recreation Department also has an ask on the November ballot, and Greene County Parks and Trails has a renewal levy on as well.

To see the DDN’s separate, detailed story on the Beavercreek schools’ request for a $265 million bond issue to build a new high school, visit DaytonDailyNews.com/elections.

Beavercreek parks levy

Beavercreek residents will vote this election cycle on a 0.49-mill permanent parks levy.

City officials say about half of the $1.02 million a year the levy would raise would simply cover existing costs that have risen. The levy would fund two additional full-time park maintenance workers and a staff member for the Beavercreek Senior Center to assist with transportation and daily operations. It would also generate $200,000 annually for equipment replacement, ADA accessibility work, and other improvements, according to the city.

The new 0.49-mill property tax levy would cost a homeowner about $17 annually per $100,000 of home value, according to the county auditor. It would run concurrently with the existing 1.2 mill parks levy.

The levy does not include funds for developing amenities at Spring House Park as outlined in the park’s master plan, but will support maintaining the park in its current state and making minor improvements, according to the city.

Beavercreek city charter issues

Beavercreek residents will voter twice on city charter changes.

The first ballot measure would change term limits for city council members and the mayor. Currently, the mayor and members of city council can only serve two consecutive four-year terms in office. If the change passes, people could serve three consecutive terms in office. After reaching the term limits, people must wait four years before they can run for mayor or council again.

Several cities in the Miami Valley do not have term limits, including Centerville, Dayton, Huber Heights, Xenia and at least a dozen others. Kettering and Fairborn have a limit of two consecutive terms of four years.

The second ballot measure bundles together several charter amendments “enhancing transparency and efficiency, and reducing the city’s expenses,” city leadership said. The changes include adjustments to public meeting notifications, publication requirements for city documents, and administrative procedures.

All of the changes were recommended by the city’s Charter Review Commission, a seven-member committee appointed every five years.

Greeneview schools bond issue

Greeneview Local Schools is making its third and final attempt at a combined bond issue and permanent improvement levy that would allow the district to get money from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission for school construction.

The district has removed athletic facilities from its construction plans, focusing entirely on academic spaces, Superintendent Sabrina Woodruff said in a district video earlier this month. This brings the project total down from $33 million to roughly $28 million, with the state’s share remaining at just over $10 million.

The ballot issue would cost a homeowner an additional $109 per $100,000 of appraised home value annually.

Credit: Contributed

District officials say the 1963-era elementary school’s older roof, electric, plumbing and HVAC systems are costly to maintain.

If the ballot issue passes, elementary students would move to what is now Greeneview Middle School, and the building would be renovated to accommodate preschool through fourth grade students. A new middle school for fifth through eighth grade would be constructed, attached to Greeneview High School, and would operate independently from the high school.

If the bond issue fails a third time, Greeneview’s window to partner with the state for school construction money would close for now, with no clarity on when the opportunity would be available again, Woodruff said.

Yellow Springs schools substitute levy

Yellow Springs voters will again consider a substitute operating levy this November that would combine two emergency levies passed in 2015 and 2017.

The 9-mill, 10-year operating levy would combine two existing levies at their current millage. Yellow Springs voters currently pay $315 per $100,000 of appraised property value for the emergency levies and would continued to pay that under the substitute levy.

Yellow Springs voters rejected a similar levy in March, the only district in the region to vote down a school levy in that election.

Greene County parks renewal

Voters countywide will consider a five-year, 0.9-mill Park District renewal levy this fall.

The parks levy currently costs Greene County homeowners $21 per $100,000 of appraised home value annually, and generates just shy of $3.9 million for the parks district.

The money is used for operations, maintenance, capital improvements, land acquisition, staffing, and funding for events with the park district.

Other tax issues on the ballot

· City of Bellbrook: permanent, 2.2-mill additional levy for police and fire services; would cost a homeowner $77 annually per $100,000 of property value.