Celina district to give levy 2nd try

CELINA - Mobilizing just two days after a combined bond issue/tax levy for a building project came up short at the polls, school board members on Thursday night agreed to put the same proposal back into voters' hands at an Aug. 4 special election.

Citing widespread community support and possible voter confusion about the primary election date, board members at Thursday's special meeting took swift action, unanimously passing resolutions declaring the necessity of the bond issue and tax levy and asking Mercer County Auditor Randy Grapner to certify them.

Officials, though, are facing a tight timeframe. If the issue is certified, board members will likely reconvene for another special session on Tuesday to approve an additional resolution to send it to the county board of elections. The filing deadline is Wednesday.

"I think we all know we put forward the best option for our community," board member Carl Huber said.

Member Matt Gilmore agreed, saying of all the building proposals he's overseen during his 20 years on the board, this one reflects tremendous community input and support.

Some people may claim board members are rushing the decision, but the district has a desperate need to address its buildings, Gilmore continued.

Superintendent Ken Schmiesing said the district remains atop the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission's list for funding. OFCC has committed to supplying up to $35 of the estimated $79.3 million project cost, with the remaining costs to be covered by the local bond issue.

This does not include locally funded initiatives, which would increase the local share to nearly $69.25 million.

However, state funding may not always be available, and board members must take another swing at the levy as quickly as possible, board president Bill Sell said after the meeting.

"That money is not going to stay there forever. The longer we wait, the greater the peril there is that that will be gone," Sell stressed. "Right now we're at the top of the list. They realize it's been a long time since we've had a project of this nature in our school district."

An Aug. 4 special election also may prove to be more effective than waiting for the Nov. 3 general election, Sell pointed out.

"For a special election people will go to the polls knowing that this is what is on the ballot," he said.

Plus, school officials want to maintain momentum the levy campaign generated over the last several months in support of a building project.

Sell is optimistic that 401Ks will rise in value and unemployment figures drop in the months ahead as the community slowly re-emerges from shutdown and returns to a feeling of normalcy. By August, voters hopefully will be on firmer financial ground and more confident about the future, he said.

"And part of that feeling is that we want to help the young people in this school district in our community," he said. "A lot of people, I believe, that wanted to do that were in an economic situation now that they felt like they couldn't."

Board members on Thursday also pointed to confusion among voters as to the date of the primary election. Gov. Mike DeWine's administration had ordered the closing of in-person polls on March 17 - the day originally designated as the state's primary election day - to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose had wanted in-person voting to occur on June 2 but was overruled by the state Legislature. It extended the primary election until April 28, making it a vote-by-mail election except for people who have disabilities or lack access to mail.

Nobody knows the specific effects of the delay, but a quick scan of Facebook revealed a lot of people didn't vote who might have supported the levy, Gilmore said.

Board member Barbara Vorhees noted she had been contacted by a few people who didn't know the election was on Tuesday, thinking it had been moved back to June.

Mercer County voters cast 2,241 votes against and 2,065 in support of the issue, according to the board of elections' unofficial summary results.

If officials place the issue on the Aug. 4 ballot, the project details will remain unchanged, Schmiesing said on Thursday night.

The 7.4-mill bond issue would fund construction of a 182,122-square-foot middle/high school and renovation of the intermediate school to house preschool through sixth grade. The 0.5-mill property tax levy would cover future maintenance costs for the buildings.

The plan includes demolishing the high, middle, elementary and primary schools (East and West schools) and the education complex (fieldhouse).

The cost for the owner of a $100,000 home would be $276.50 annually, according to the Mercer County Auditor's Office.

If passed, the bond would collect $3.243 million annually over a maximum of 38 years. The issue would be about a 4-mill increase over the current bond set to expire this year, according to district treasurer Tom Sommer.

The 0.5-mill levy would collect $221,617 per year over 23 years. The OFCC requires the levy to ensure enough income to operate and maintain the buildings if they are built, Schmiesing said.