Urbana City Schools has two levies that still require periodic renewal, and school administrators began talks with the board Tuesday as to when to ask for those renewals.
Superintendent Charles Thiel said the district had four levies up for renewal every five years: a 5.9-mill operating levy, a 14.88-mill operating levy, a 9.75-mill operating levy and a 3.5-mill permanent improvement levy.
The 3.5-mill permanent improvement levy was renewed as a “continuous” levy in 2013. The 14.88-mill levy was renewed as “continuous” in 2016.
Of the remaining levies, the 9.75-mill operating levy will expire in December 2018, and the first time it can be voted on is in November. The 5.9-mill levy expires in December 2020. It last was renewed in 2015. It will be awhile before that one comes up for a vote again.
Thiel gave board members dates to get them thinking about how and when they want to seek renewal of those levies. He also wants the board to think about whether they want to make those levies continuous. He said previously that with continous levies, the district doesn’t have to ask voters for money all the time, and it saves dollars when issues are not placed on ballots.
The 9.75-mill levy raises approximately $2.6 million annually, and the 5.9-mill levy raises approximately $1.4 million annually.
If the board wants to put the 9.75-mill levy on the November ballot, it needs to do so by July 28, Thiel said. To put a levy on the ballot takes two board resolutions, the first to certify the amount to the auditor, and the second to actually put it on the ballot.
Union contracts
Also coming down the pipeline are union contract renewals for teachers and other staff. The teacher contract expires May 31, 2017, and the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) contract expires June 30, 2018.
Also at the meeting, the board:
•Approved the assignment of an easement to Dayton Power & Light as part of the New High School Construction Project.
•Accepted donations of a total of $2,260 from Perpetual Federal Savings Bank, GameTme, Buckeye, JWP, Peoples Savings Bank, Troutwines, Ohio Caverns, Kinkaid’s, Houser & Brinnon, the Anderson family, the Michaels family, the Heckman family, the Edwards family, Dr. Bauer, Ron Burns, the Upchurch family and the Weithman family, all for the Urbana High School Choir; $855.75 in donations to the Urbana Junior High at Local Night at the Museum event; a total of $280 from Mr. & Mrs. Petty, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Shockey, Mr. & Mrs. Michael Mays, American Pan Co., and The Skelley Lumber Company, all for the Urbana High School Academic Banquet; a total of $375 from Samantha Hiltibran, Julie Huber, Margie Williams, Richard Stevens, Melanie Anders, Jane Martin, Ashton Peraza, Julie Willoughby, Collen Curts, Amie Boyd and Jenn Chapman, all for the North Elementary Henry Cole Program; a total of $550 from CRSI, Peoples Bank, JWP, Perpetual Federal Savings Bank, Houser & Brinnon and The Skelley Lumber Company, all for the Urbana High School Athletic Department Golf Scramble; $150 from Junior Achievement to Urbana Boys Soccer; $150 from Junior Achievement to Urbana High School Bowling; and a total of $650 from Bundy Baking Solutions and KTH for the Urbana North Elementary Kindergarten Screening Materials.
•Accepted the resignation of teacher Sana Ahmed, effective the end of the 2016-17 school year.
•Approved the Urbana High School Cheerleaders trip to UCA Cheer Camp in Mason, July 10-13, pending approval of all travel arrangements.
