By Carly Rose
TROY — Voters across Miami County will see various school tax levy issues on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.
Troy City Schools is proposing for voters to pass a tax levy that is a 1.1 mil permanent improvement levy. Since this is a renewal of an existing levy; it will not raise taxes.
This levy was first passed in 1984 and was most recently renewed in November 2018. If renewed, this levy will cost homeowners $1.92 per month for every $100,000 of home valuation.
Money raised by this levy can only be used for permanent improvements, and cannot be used for any other expenses, such as payroll.
“While we look forward to getting new elementary school buildings in the very near future, the fact remains we still need to work hard to maintain the schools we do have in order to achieve our goal of keeping our students warm, safe, and dry,” said Troy City Schools Superintendent Chris Piper. “Our custodial staff and maintenance staff do a fantastic job on our buildings on a daily basis, but given the age of the buildings, there are going to be projects like these to maintain what we have.”
The permanent improvement levy often goes to pay for expensive repairs or replacements. This past summer, for example Troy City Schools points out, there have been a number of projects that were paid for with money raised through the permanent improvement levy.
The biggest summer project at Troy High School was a partial roof replacement. Roof areas were replaced above the science wing, part of the commons outside the Trojan Activities Center, and the area of the building near the bus circle. The cost of the project was $253,622, in addition to $22,000 for replacement design services.
The district also spent a total of $55,410.17 in repaving two areas near the high school, including Ferguson Drive and the parking area outside the district’s technology department.
In the end, the Troy City School District expects to spend $532,778.26 this year on capital improvement projects.
“We feel we do an outstanding job maintaining our buildings,” said Piper. “But that maintenance comes at a high cost. This permanent improvement levy, which will not raise taxes if renewed, allows us to pay for those projects without using funds that are currently spent on student learning.”
According to the election ballot, a renewal of a tax for the benefit of Troy City School District for the purpose of general permanent improvements that the county auditor estimates will collect $777,000 annually, at a rate not exceeding 1.1 mills for each $1 taxable value, which amounts to $23 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value, for 5 years, commencing in 2024, first due in calendar year 2025.
Other school districts that are proposing tax levies on the upcoming ballot are:
• Covington Exempted Local School District — Shall an annual income tax of 1.25 per cent on the school district income of individuals and of estates be imposed by Covington Exempted Village School District to renew an income tax (or taxes) expiring at the end of 2025 for 5 years, beginning Jan. 1, 2026, for the purpose of current expenses?
• Franklin Monroe Local School District — A renewal of a tax benefit of Franklin Monroe Local School District for the purpose of providing for the permanent improvements of the school district that the county auditor estimates will collect $31,000 annually, at a rate not exceeding 1 mill for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $8 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value, for 5 years, commencing in 2025, first due in calendar year 2026.
• Miami East Local School District — A replacement of a tax for the benefit of Miami East Local School District for the purpose of general permanent improvements that the county auditor estimates will collect $271,000 annually, at a rate not exceeding 0.8 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $28 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value, for a continuing period of time, commencing in 2025, first due in calendar year 2026.
• Milton-Union Public Library — A renewal of a tax benefit of Milton-Union Public Library for the purpose of current expenses that the county auditor estimates will collect $138,000 annually, at a rate not exceeding 0.7 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $17 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value, for 5 years, commencing in 2025, first due in the calendar year 2026.
• Milton-Union Exempted Village School District — Shall an annual income tax of 0.75 per cent on the earned income of individuals residing in the school district be imposed by Milton-Union Exempted Village School District for 10 years, beginning on Jan. 1, 2025, for the purpose of current expenses?
• Newton Local School District Miami and Darke Counties — Shall an annual income tax of 0.75 per cent on the earned income of individuals residing in the school district be imposed by Newton Local School District to renew an income tax expiring at the end of 2025, for 3 years, beginning on Jan. 1, 2026, for the purpose of current operating expenses?
• Tecumseh Local School District Clark and Miami Counties — A renewal of a tax for the benefit of Tecumseh Local School District for the purpose of improvements, renovations, and additions to school facilities and providing equipment, furnishings, and site improvements that the county auditor estimates will collect $731,000 annually, at a rate not exceeding 4 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $140 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value, for 5 years, commencing in 2025, first due in calendar year 2026.
• Tecumseh Local School District Clark and Miami Counties — Shall a tax levy substituting for an existing levy be imposed by the Tecumseh Local School District for the purpose of providing for the necessary requirements of the school district in the initial sum of $2,818,398, and a levy of taxes be made outside of the ten-mill limitation estimated by the county auditor to require 7 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $245 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value for the initial year of the tax, for a period of 10 years, commencing in 2024, first due in calendar year 2025, with a sum of such tax to increase only if and as new land or real property improvements not previously taxed by the school district are added to its tax list? if approved, any remaining tax years on any of the two existing levies will not be collected after the 2024 tax year.
