Wednesday, May 8th, 2019
St. Henry schools levy gains approval
Parkway levy leads in partial returns
By Tom Stankard
St. Henry Consolidated Local Schools District voters overwhelmingly approved renewal of a 6.8-mill, five-year emergency operating levy.
Parkway Local Schools voters in Mercer County overwhelmingly supported the 1.5-mill permanent improvement levy, however results for Van Wert County were not known by press time. No Parkway voters in Auglaize County cast a ballot, Auglaize County Board of Elections Director Michelle Wilcox said.
In the St. Henry election, 80%, or 276, of the 347 Mercer County voters who cast a vote supported renewing the levy. Seventy-one, 20 percent, opposed it in the county in unofficial results. In Darke County 15, or 71 percent, of the 21 voters supported the levy.
"Thank you to the community for their support," superintendent Julie Garke said. "This is a reflection of the high value St. Henry residents place on education."
The levy will collect $1.1 million per year and will cost the owner of a $100,000 home $214 per year, treasurer Jennifer Bruns has said. Money collected will continue to fund basic programs and services, including salaries, instructional supplies, curriculum, utilities, building and equipment maintenance, extracurricular activities and transportation costs, she added.
"I'm very excited about the results," Parkway Superintendent Jeanne Osterfeld said of the overwhelming support in Mercer County. Among the 217 voters in the county, 142, or 65 percent, voted for the levy, while 75, or 35 percent voted against it.
The five-year levy would collect $235,749 beginning in 2020 and cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $52 annually. This amount would decrease annually, district treasurer Debbie Pierce has said.
The levy was first passed in 1999 at 2.5 mills and had since been reduced 0.62 mill to reflect increasing property values, Pierce has said. Replacing the levy instead of renewing it would restore the levy to 1.5 mills, she has said.
Money collected will be used for permanent improvements, Osterfeld noted. This fund covers improvements, renovations, additions and acquiring land.
