toledoblade.com -- Ways sought to deal with voters' 'no'

Pemberville, Eastwood Local Schools, and Woodmore Local Schools all had tax requests turned down by voters last week - and all are looking for ways to do without the money they would have been raised for village services or new schools.

While Pemberville will consider cutback options in coming months to balance the village's budget, Eastwood will try to figure out how it can extend the life of its elementary schools. And Woodmore officials are meeting with Ohio School Facilities Commission to see if there is anything else that can be done to replace its aging elementary school, which floods, needs utility upgrades, and has other costly problems.

"There is not a real fix for our elementary," said Woodmore Superintendent Jane Garling. "There's just too many things wrong."

She added: "I'm not sure if there are any options for us. Putting money into this old building is useless."

In Pemberville, where this year's closure of Modine Manufacturing Co. will cause the loss of about $100,000 in tax revenues, voters last week rejected a 2-mill, five-year levy that would have generated about $53,684 for the Pemberville Police Department. Residents also voted down a 0.25-mill, five-year levy that would have provided about $6,710 for village park and recreation areas.

Gordon Bowman, village council president, said hours likely will be reduced for the department's five part-time police officers, and other cutbacks will need to be made in the village. This is the second consecutive November voters rejected a Pemberville police levy, and it is too early to tell whether officials will request one next year, he said.

"Apparently the people of Pemberville are unwilling to support any additional money for the village," Mr. Bowman said.

Finding a replacement for Richard Bingham, the police chief who left last month for another job, is a priority for Pemberville, Mr. Bowman said.

Voters rejected Eastwood's attempt to get taxpayers to help build a school last November. The school district's latest request, which would have helped build an $18.16 million consolidated kindergarten-through-fifth-grade building, was a 2.64-mill bond issue coupled with a 0.75-mill continuing permanent improvement levy.

Eastwood voters, however, last week did renew a 2-mill permanent improvement levy to maintain and repair buildings. The district will develop a plan and cost analysis for needed improvements to the elementary schools, according to Brent Welker, superintendent.

Woodmore wanted to build a $25.9 million school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students, which would have replaced the district's elementary school in Woodville. Middle school students from the high school in Elmore would have been moved there too.

Voters, however, rejected last week a 6.97-mill, 37-year bond issue and a 0.5-mill levy to cover maintenance and other costs. The Ohio School Facilities Commission had offered to fund almost $6.4 million of the project, and hopefully officials will be able to help the district, said Mrs. Garling, the superintendent.

"We'll go from there," she said.

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