Napoleon wins, Patrick Henry loses as levies score mixed results at polls

3/3/2004

A plan to eliminate extracurricular activities and at least a dozen more jobs in the Napoleon school district apparently was enough to change voters minds about a new tax.

Voters handily approved a five-year, 7.9-mill operating levy yesterday.

In November, Napoleon residents defeated the same tax request prompting the school board to make $167,000 in cuts this semester and $1.56 million in additional, permanent cuts starting next school year.

School officials have said the district is looking at a $2.5 million deficit. The new levy will raise about $2.3 million a year.

Also in Henry County, Patrick Henry voters overwhelmingly defeated a five-year, 8.75-mill operating levy that district officials said was needed to operate the district at “status quo.”

In other school districts across northwest Ohio:

• Arcadia voters split their decision on two ballot issues. Voters defeated a 1 percent income tax intended to raise $584,000 a year, but approved a four-year, 6.9-mill emergency operating levy that will generate $440,000 a year.

Officials at the Hancock County school district said both taxes were needed to offset income reductions resulting from both declining enrollment and reduced state subsidies.

• Ayersville voters approved an 11.68-mill operating levy that will take the place of two existing levies. The new tax issue will be permanent, which school officials said will give the Defiance County district long-term financial stability.

• Voters in the Bellevue city school district defeated a 1.85-mill bond issue that would have raised $8.2 million over 28 years to add classrooms at Shumaker Elementary, build a band room at the high school, and perform other renovation work.

• Firelands Local Schools near Sandusky failed in its third bid to approve a new tax. The five-year, 6.31-mill operating levy would have raised $1.3 million annually. Voters rejected two smaller tax requests in 2003.

• Fostoria voters defeated a 9.63-mill operating levy that would have generated $2.1 million in the first year and $1.2 million in each of the next four years.

• Hicksville voters agreed to pay a five-year, 0.75 percent income tax for operating expenses. Had the tax not passed, a third phase of cuts, including extracurricular activities and academic positions and programs, would have been enacted.

• Huron voters defeated a five-year, 6.9-mill emergency operating levy intended to remove the district from the state s list of financially troubled schools. The levy would have generated $2.1 million a year. A smaller, 4.9-mill levy lost by just 70 votes in November.

• In Hancock and part of Wood County, McComb voters approved a 0.5 percent income tax intended to raise about $300,000 a year for five years. The same request was defeated last November.

• Voters in the Millcreek-West Unity Local Schools in Williams County approved a five-year, 5.2-mill emergency operating levy.

• Voters in the Perkins Local school district in Erie County rejected a 6.9-mill, permanent operating levy that would have raised $1.6 million a year.

• Tiffin voters decided against what would have been the Seneca County school district s first income tax. The 0.75 percent tax would have raised about $2.6 million a year.

• In Fulton County, Wauseon voters overwhelmingly agreed to replace a 1-mill, five-year permanent improvement levy.

• In Paulding County, Wayne Trace voters defeated an additional 0.5-percent, five-year income tax that would have generated about $407,000 a year.