Lima board looking at one renewal

LIMA - The Lima school board believes the best bet on getting a renewal levy passed in November is to not change things up on voters.

After a short discussion on combining two renewals, the board decided Thursday to move forward on putting just a five-year, emergency renewal levy on the ballot. It also decided to keep it a five-year levy, and not extend it to 10 as the law now allows.

"These are tough financial times for our community and they have responded and told us that in many different ways," board President Sandra Monfort said. "If they feel more comfortable with us coming with things the same way we have always done them, with these financial times, we are going endorse that, we are going to support that."

There was some board discussion Thursday of worry that the public would view any kind of change as being sneaky, even though that wouldn't be the case.

Combining the two would save the district the money of going on the ballot two consecutive years. Thursday's vote was unanimous, although board members Bobbi McGinnis and C. Ann Miles were unable to attend the meeting.

The levy, which expires at the end of this year, raises $625,000 a year for district operating expenses. The county auditor will now determine the millage before the board votes to put it on the ballot at its Aug. 7 regular meeting.

A 5 mill levy that expires at the end of 2009 raises $1.6 million. Combining them would not have cost taxpayers any more money. Treasurer Ryan Stechschulte had asked the board to consider combining the two levies, but after hearing preliminary results of recent focus group discussions, changed his mind.

"The community meetings came back that it was not such a good idea," he said.

The board hired a private company with donated funds to hold the discussions. They followed a telephone survey of 300 residents. The board should receive more specific information on the discussions next week. Almost 63 percent of those surveyed said they would be likely to support the renewal levy.

The board agreed that it should not opt to put the levy on for 10 years, although Stechschulte said it would "give the district a little more certainty of what we will have for 10 years instead of five years."

The board has until Aug. 21 before having to file with the county board of elections to get on the November ballot.

The board recently decided to not go back to voters for new money this year, although has said the need still exists. Two levy defeats have been followed by reductions.