CRESTLINE — Residents in the Crestline Exempted Village School District will vote May 2 on the renewal of a property tax levy for operating funds.
Supt. Matthew Henderson said the 11.7-mill, five-year levy does not represent any additional taxes.
“It’s not new. There is no tax increase,” Henderson said of the levy, most recently approved by 52 percent of voters in 2018.
The district of about 633 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade includes voters in both Crawford and Richland counties. Four years ago, Crawford County voters approved it, 339-306, in the May primary, according to the Crawford County Board of Elections website.
In Richland County, voters in Sandusky Township opposed it by a narrow margin, 34-30, according to the board of elections.
Henderson, who has led the district for 3 1/2 years, said the tax generates about $760,000 annually for the district and costs $409.50 for each $100,000 of appraised property value. It’s the first time the CEVSD has had a ballot issue since Henderson became superintendent.
“$760,000 is a large percentage of funding for our district for our district,” Henderson said. “To lose about three-quarters of a million dollars in a school district our size would have a great impact on the operations of the district.”
The levy expires at the end of 2023. Should it fail, the district would place it back on the ballot in November.
“We haven’t locally had any conversations about (plans) if the levy should not pass in May,” he said. “We will know more after May (2).”
The superintendent said the district is currently on solid financial ground.
“The district, including the board, the treasurer and myself, work very hard to be reasonable stewards of local taxpayer money and we will continue to do that going forward if this levy should pass,” he said. “The voters will make the choice, ultimately.”
