Riverdale seeks 6.2-mill school levy

MOUNT BLANCHARD — Voters in the Riverdale Local School District will see a proposed 6.1-mill emergency property tax levy on the May primary ballot that would generate $930,000 for school operations over five years. Superintendent Jeff Young said that while the term "emergency" might sound ominous, that's not the case. An emergency levy, he explained, is a term used to describe a fixed sum levy in Ohio. "Our levy will say a '$930,000 levy,' so it's $930,000, and that's what that levy will bring in," he said. Currently, that amount is collected through 6.1 mills. The millage could fluctuate, but never the amount, he said. "So essentially, as property values increase, the levy amount stays the same. It will not increase or decrease. It's a fixed sum," said Young. For a homeowner with a $100,000 home, the additional cost would be $18.09 a month, or $217 a year. If approved, collections would begin in 2022. The school district, which is located in portions of Hancock, Hardin and Wyandot counties, has 1,043 students. Levy money would help fund day-to-day operational expenses such as utilities and busing, support existing programs and maintain technology and the school's technology infrastructure. Young said the last time the school district asked for new money was in 2011, which was turned down by voters. "It's been 10 years and we asked for an increase or additional income tax at that time. And the community said, 'Hey, let's hold on that and press pause,' and we did," he said. Young said the school board had to make difficult decisions after the income tax defeat. That included absorbing some teaching positions as people left or retired. Technology purchases were also delayed. "It was tough, but we had to do it and we did it," he said. "Now here we are, 10 years later." Young said the district hasn't had any new operating money since 1994. "So our whole goal with this is actually to continue the programs we have and actually really solidify those," he said. So many things have changed over the past 27 years, he noted. The cost to educate children continues to rise, while federal- and state-level funding have been cut. "We've got software programs that we have to purchase. We have to purchase testing programs, diagnostic testing programs. We have to purchase curriculum. You multiply that by each child. Those things go up," he said. The district does have a newer school. A 6.2-mill, 23-year bond issue that was approved and paid for the construction of a new K-12 building school is set to expire in December 2023. Young said that will cause property taxes to decrease. At the current rate, that would amount to $112 a year for a person who owns a $100,000 home. Young said the current levy request has been a topic of discussion at recent board meetings. Additional information is also available on the school's website. "I've heard support in conversations that I've had with people," he said. In particular, he said, people want to know what will happen if the levy passes or fails. "So when I share our financial story, what I definitely always say is if this fails, we'll continue to look at ways of restructuring our classes and our courses and extracurriculars, which is what we've been doing for quite some time now, since I've been superintendent," Young said. This is his fourth year in the position. Young said a failed levy may also mean less technology for students, larger class sizes and/or more limited course selections. "If it passes, we want to let everybody know that we'll protect what we have, and it will keep the investments that we've begun," he said. "We've initiated one-to-one technology and initiated increased safety and so many other things that we've heard from our community that they wanted. So it will definitely help protect and stabilize those things." Young said the school has also developed an industrial technology program that connects students with area manufacturing companies. "We would love to continue to keep that. We will do everything we can — I mean, everything. That's one of our top priorities for sure," he said. "That program has grown so much. And the use of technology — the use of computers and manufacturing — has increased, so we want to continue to get our students prepared."