Monetary issues are defeated in Bowling Green, Port Clinton

11/9/2005

Voters in the Bowling Green and Port Clinton school districts yesterday refused to fund construction projects that would modernize classroom space and other facilities.

The Bowling Green City School District's 28-year, 5.43-mill bond issue was soundly defeated, with nearly 60 percent of the electorate voting no.

The measure would have raised $43.28 million to build a middle school, a performing arts center, and two other non-classroom structures - a support services facility and an athletic building.

All the new buildings were to be erected on the 80-acre site of Bowling Green High School.

"If it goes down, you're always disappointed," Superintendent Hugh Caumartin said. "We're just going to have to take a look at things, analyze it, and see where we go from there."

In the Port Clinton City Schools, voters defeated a 28-year, 4.2-mill bond issue that would have raised $37 million and allowed the district to replace four aging elementary schools with two new buildings.

Voters had turned down two previous requests for building funds for the Port Clinton schools, both in 2001.

Also in Ottawa County, the Benton-Carroll-Salem Local School District failed by 100 votes to pass a five-year, 3.9-mill emergency operating levy. The defeat was the fourth time in the past year that the district's voters have turned down a tax request.

The measure would have raised $1.2 million a year and helped the district offset revenue lost from a state change in how tax revenue from nuclear power plants is distributed.

In other regional districts:

●Voters in Lima City Schools in Allen County approved a five-year, 6.8-mill additional operating levy.

●Sandusky City School District failed by a more than 2-to-1 margin to win approval of a 28-year, 5.97-mill bond issue for classroom construction and renovation and a 23-year, 0.5-mill maintenance levy.

●Voters in Vanlue Local Schools in Hancock and Wyandot counties appeared to narrowly pass a five-year, 1 percent income tax renewal for operations and a continuing, 4-mill renewal levy for general improvements, according to final, unofficial results.

●Liberty Center Local School District in Fulton and Henry counties was overwhelmingly defeated in its bid to pass a continuing, 0.5 percent income tax for operations.

●Bryan City School District in Williams County was defeated in its bid for a continuing 1 percent income tax increase for operations.