Allen East asks voters to make levy permanent
Apr. 17—HARROD — Voters in the Allen East district will decide whether a levy adopted in 1994 to support general operations for the school district should become permanent, one of four school levies voters in Allen, Auglaize and Putnam counties may see on their ballots in May.
The Allen East levy generates $330,000 each year for basic operational expenses, like salaries, supplies and transportation costs, accounting for a significant portion of the district's annual budget that has been renewed six times in the last 26 years.
The change would allow Allen East to continue implementing the 2.27-mill levy, rather than come back to voters every five years. But the change would also allow the district to potentially collect additional revenue from new home construction, without raising taxes on homeowners who were already paying into the levy, Andrea Snyder, Allen East treasurer, said during a town hall on Tuesday.
"You're not paying anything besides that exact same $330,000," Snyder said. "But if a new construction home comes in, they're going to have that exact same tax rate that you're paying, so Allen East can get a little bit more revenue."
The levy is unrelated to a proposed middle school expansion project, which would use a separate revenue stream to construct an addition to the middle school building to alleviate overcrowding and prepare for future enrollment increases anticipated with new construction.
Here are the other school levies and income tax renewals before voters in Allen, Putnam and Auglaize counties this spring:
—Parkway schools: The district is asking voters to renew its 8.97-mill levy for another five years. The levy generates roughly $1 million annually, or approximately 10% of the district's operating budget, which covers everything from salaries and benefits to transportation, utilities and other general expenses. The levy has been in effect since 1994.
—Waynesfield-Goshen: The district's 1% income tax levy is up for renewal in May. The tax generates $800,000 each year, or roughly 12.5% of Waynesfield-Goshen's operating expenses. The income tax first took effect in 1992.
—Pandora-Gilboa: The district is also asking voters to renew its 1% income tax levy for another five years. The tax, which has been in effect since 2007, brings in approximately $900,000 annually and accounts for 12% of Pandora-Gilboa's operating budget.
Without it, Superintendent Todd Schmutz said the district wouldn't be able to maintain staffing levels.
