Wednesday, November 5th, 2014
Marion schools levy passes
By Jared Mauch
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard
Kevin Hartings, maintenance supervisor for Marion Local Schools, on Tuesday morning checks a seam on the degraded rubber roof on the elementary school. Voters on Tuesday approved a 1.5-mill levy with a 0.3-mill increase that will help pay for building improvements such as the roof.
MARIA STEIN - School district residents on Tuesday voted nearly 65 percent in favor of a renewal levy with an increase to fund building improvements and maintenance.
The total 1.8-mill permanent improvement levy will generate $151,476 per year for five years when it begins in January. The current 1.5-mill levy collects $126,476 per year.
The issue passed with 828 votes for and 455 against.
The owner of a $100,000 home will annually pay $53.56, up from $43,06.
The levy issue generated little interest, school superintendent Mike Pohlman said this morning.
"It was pretty low key. There was not a lot of support for or against it leading up to Tuesday," he said.
He noted the community has in the past supported levy issues on the ballot.
The money collected will fund school building improvements, including equipment, furnishings and site improvements. Permanent improvement levies are used to purchase items that last five years or longer such as a roof replacement or a new school bus. It cannot fund consumable goods such as office supplies, propane or district salaries.
Pohlman said there are no immediate plans on how to spend the levy dollars except the completion of a new roof for the elementary building.
"I would just like to thank the taxpayers for their continued support and trust and for allowing the district to work with their money," the superintendent said.
