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Politics & Government

Woodridge Schools to Place Levy on March Ballot

Lower property values throw wrench in millage calculations.

The Woodridge Local Schools Board of Education in a special board meeting voted Thursday evening to put another levy before voters to produce an annual $3 million in tax revenue for five years.

A Nov. 8 levy for 5.88 mills , forcing the district to deal with rising costs in labor, health care, educational, transportation and maintenance supplies. The district has been dipping into reserves since the 2008-2009 school year and will be operating in the red by 2014 without new revenue, according to the . 

The November vote might just have delayed inevitable pain.

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The new levy, to be voted on March 6, will seek 6.88 mills. The higher number than the November levy is in part to reflect a drop in property values as recently calculated by Summit County. Property values in the Woodridge Local Schools district dropped an average 10 percent across residential and commercial properties. Residential properties, roughly three-fourths of the taxed properties in the area, lost about 7.9 percent in value. Commercial properties lost 14.2 percent of their value.

Treasurer Deanna Levenger explained the new numbers to the board.

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"We did get our certified millage back from the county fiscal office; don't choke when you see this, let me explain it first."  

“We’re going right back at it,” said Superintendent Walter Davis earlier this week. “The board has increased the dollar amount a little bit … since the previous levy we were trying for didn’t pass, we won’t collect until 2013, so we’re losing a whole year (of funding).”

It will reflect a net increase in property taxes, but not as big of an increase as it looks like at first blush. 

"We need more millage to generate the same number of dollars," Levenger said. "When you calculate those numbers you think, oh that's going to be an increase in how much people pay, but it really isn't."

"This is going to be a very big challenge for us to get this message out," she said. 

In other action, the board also agreed to hire Dennis McConnaghey as a part-time bus driver and Frank Margida as interim transportation supervisor to fill in for Donna Boyd, who is on medical leave. 

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