Five ballot issues, as well as the Mansfield City Schools’ school board election were discussed at the Candidates and Issues Forum hosted by the Citizen Action Sector of the Richland County Community Development Group (RCDG) at the North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC) on Wednesday evening.
The Mansfield City School District Tax Levy was presented by district superintendent Brian Garverick. Last Spring voters failed to pass a renewal levy that would not have been a new tax, thus the district has placed a new levy on the ballot that effectively replaces the failed renewal levy.
The 10.1 levy would cost a homeowner with a home valued at $80,000 23.57 per month. Garverick pointed to gains in reading scores through Reading Recovery as well as the positive impact of the Algebra Project as evidence of progress in the district. He also reminded voters that an investment in Mansfield schools is an investment in the community as a whole.
Carl Hunnell and Tim Harless presented on behalf of the Richland County Children’s Services Tax Levy. Harless opened by saying, “If you’re passionate about something you do every day, it’s easy to talk about.”
His passion is the positive outcomes the county has had in their efforts to keep families together. Two-hundred and fifity-one children were in custody, but now only 63 are in custody. Four hundred families have sought voluntary help through the Family Need of Services programs. “The 107 employees of Children’s Services care about families,” said Harless.
The 1 mil 10-year replacement levy replaces a levy first passed in 1984, renewed in 1994, and 2004; now re-written as a replacement for 2014 to adjust for fluctuation in property values since the1980s. The levy will generate 1.9 million dollars locally, and allow for an additional $1.3 million in matching federal funding, thus over 10 years it will bring 13 million dollars of federal funding over the 10 years.
Richland County Senior Services Tax Levy was explained by Theresa Cook of the Area Agency on Aging. The levy is a renewal and if passed will not increase taxes. The rate is 1 mil, which amounts to $0.09 per day for a homeowner whose home is valued at $100,000. The agency serves any Richland County resident over the age of 60 who has a need of services.
Ninety-four percent of the levy funds will go directly to senior residents through programs and services. These programs allow seniors to “age in place,” or stay home longer. Among the programs are home repairs and services, home delivered meals, transportation services, personal care, adult day services, emergency alert and information referrals.
Matt Work presented on behalf of the Richland County Health District tax levy. The 0.05 mil levy will cost homeowners $17.15 per $100,000 valuation per year and is a renewal, thus it is not a new tax. Work stressed the value that voters get for their money by explaining that the health department provides over 70 services to Richland County residents. The levy will provide 12 percent of the department’s budget.
The City of Mansfield Income Tax Levy was presented by Mayor Tim Theaker and Mark Abrams. The city’s last attempt at passing a tax increase failed, so Mayor Theaker and his team have tailored the new levy to address resident concerns. Since safety is a high priority for residents,that will be at the forefront. The hope is to utilize the funds to replace aged and damaged equipment such as fire trucks and police cruisers, turn on deactivated street lights, and re-invest in the parks. The increase would add an additional .25 percent to city income tax and is expected to generate an additional $3 million per year.
Four seats on the Mansfield City School Board are on the ballot and four candidates are running Incumbents Dina Davis and Chris Elswick, as well as founder and former Executive Director of the Little Buckeye Children’s Museum, Donna Farland-Smith, and Monica Hubbard, who is an elementary school principal in Mt. Gilead, are running this fall. Elswick did not participated in candidates night.
The three in attendance largely agreed about many of the issues discussed and believe in the importance of working together and respecting the proper chain of command. Each candidate did differentiate themselves in terms of their expertise and the unique perspective that they would bring to the school board.
Davis pointed to her experience as an incumbent as well as her family’s engagement in education as strengths, but her perspective as a parent was first and foremost in her platform.
Farland-Smith focused heavily on her resume. She has multiple degrees in education, experience as an educator both in K-12 and higher education, and she founded the local children’s museum. She believes her credentials and experience will bring a unique perspective to the board.
Hubbard is a third generation educator and points to her experience in the trenches as one of the assets she would bring to the board. Her primary concern is that the stakeholders work together to put children first even in light of possibly tough budgetary decisions.
