We still have one more chance at the levy this fall. The levy is a total renovation of both buildings. The first try we attempted to add a competition gym and locker rooms, but that has been taken off of the scope of the project, and the total cost to our taxpayers has been cut in half. Many of the projects (much like the drain lines we did this summer) including new roof on the elementary, and HVAC replacements will have to be done whether the levy passes or not. If the levy would pass, these projects would get done along with many others and the state would pay for the majority of the project. If you have questions or you know someone who does have them reach out to me or look at the Levy FAQ page on the website. I will update it with the information for the fall election, but wanted to leave the site up so people who had questions could look at it.
https://www.easternlocal.com/page/levy-faq
Why not an Income Tax Levy
I have been asked why the district does not do another type of levy such as an income tax levy.
This was definitely something that we explored, and based on the costs to the average homeowner in our district it was much more expensive then a property tax levy. Many people also don’t realize, but many retirees' benefits are eligible for income tax as well.
An income tax would be significantly more expensive for the average taxpayer in our district. Overall, an income tax would cost the average taxpayer in the district $548.80 per year. The property tax will cost the average homeowner in the district $235.93 per year. For residents 65 or older who qualify for the Homestead Exemption, the average cost would be $195.58 per year.
This is due to a number of factors illustrated in the table below:
I recently had a couple of people ask why we did the drainlines and sewer project instead of the Elementary roof. There were several factors. First of all, both projects needed to be done. It is simply deciding what is more pressing. If the plumbing is not working we can’t have school, this coupled with the cost made the drainline project move to the front of the line. The cost of the entire plumbing and drainage project with the parking lot repairs we are expecting to be around 120 thousand dollars while the roof replacement will be over 2 million. I think it's also important to mention and thank Mr. Boston and Mr. Holsinger for being able to do quite a bit of the work on the projects saving the district thousands of dollars. They were able to use the equipment we rented and some of the material to also expand the parking lot which has always been an issue for us. We are hoping that with the expansion and some adjustments to routing, drop off in the morning will run a little quicker and smoother as well.
I also wanted to point out that the roof replacement is part of the scope of the levy project, so the state would pay for 3/4s of the roof and all of the other projects in the scope if the levy is passed. If we would have done the project this summer on our own we wouldn’t have had the option for the state to pick up 75% of the cost.
If anyone has any questions or ideas they want to discuss please reach out to me. This also goes for any community members you share this with. These decisions are always difficult and I am always interested in hearing from stakeholders.
Please See the attached flyer for another option that Eastern Local has been a part of planning for the students of the county.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PXihGdQCpKIHMia6oxupXffboHP3IfFI/view?usp=sharing
Also, any girls entering 7th and 8th grade interested in playing basketball this upcoming year are invited to basketball open gym this Tuesday from 6-7pm in the ELEMENTARY gym. Please enter thru the doors next to the dumpsters behind the school.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is encouraging Ohioans to take advantage of this year’s sales tax holiday, which is intended to provide meaningful savings for families across the state. During the sales tax holiday, which takes place from Friday, Aug. 1, to Thursday, Aug. 14, shoppers will be able to make qualifying purchases both in-store and online without paying state sales tax, with certain exemptions.
In 2024, Governor DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly expanded the sales tax holiday to include more items and to run for a longer period. Instead of the previous period of three days, it lasted 10 days and was expanded to include a wide range of items up to $500, rather than limiting the sales tax exemption to school supplies. This year’s sales tax holiday lasts two full weeks.