What's on: Fulton County

7/27/2005

ARCHBOLD

The Archbold Area School District will eliminate two bus routes this fall and extend other routes to cover affected students.

Two drivers retired at the end of the 2004-2005 school year, according to district Superintendent Ken Cline, and district officials determined that it was not necessary to refill the positions. The two routes on the west edge of Archbold will be consolidated into several of the district's other 11 routes.

The district, which is projected to have a $900,000 negative cash balance by June, 2007, will save the cost of two bus driver salaries without eliminating service to students, Mr. Cline said.

The German Township trustee race has drawn three challengers and one incumbent for two seats that will be up in the Nov. 8 election.

Challengers Kenneth Leupp, Randy Ruffer, and Bruce Rupp had filed with the Fulton County Board of Elections early this week as well as incumbent Bruce Lauber. Andrew King, who has been a trustee for several terms, has said he will not run.

The filing deadline is Aug. 25. Two trustee seats are up for election in each of the county's 12 townships. Other challengers who had filed by early this week were Curtis Fether in Gorham Township and Ron Holdeman in Swancreek Township.

DELTA

Village council is in the process of taking formal action to protect green space in the community park.

Council recently conducted the second of three readings on a resolution that would establish and maintain green space between the volleyball courts and the new skate park facility, north to the parking lot, for future generations.

If the resolution is adopted, no tennis courts, horseshoe pits, or other improvements would be made in that space. The only permitted improvements would be trees and grass.

LYONS

Residents of Royalton Township, including those in the village of Lyons, will consider a higher fire protection tax Nov. 8.

Township trustees filed a replacement 1.8-mill, five-year levy with the Fulton County Board of Elections on July 26.

If approved, it would raise $53,237 a year, up from $32,800 raised by the current levy. For the owner of a $100,000, owner-occupied home, annual costs for the replacement levy would be more than $55 a year, up from almost $29 now.

The levy has been on the books since 1985 and always renewed, rather than replaced.

The replacement would take total annual real estate taxes for such a homeowner in the township to $1,519 and in the village - where tax rates are the second highest in Fulton County, behind only the village of Fayette - to $1,673.