Tipp City, Bethel pass school levies

Voters in two Miami TROY — County school districts supported levy renewals during Tuesday’s election.

In Tipp City, voters approved a 13.9-mill, seven-year operating levy. The vote was 70.22 percent in favor and 29.78 percent against, according to unofficial results from the Miami County Board of Elections. The combined levy was a renewal of two previous operating levies.

The levy would continue to generate $5.6 million annually, the amount generated by two existing levies that expire at year’s end.

District officials emphasized heavily during the campaign to sell the levy that the money would not be for a new school building or a new stadium, although the district has been discussing both. A committee is working to raise money for a stadium privately.

“This is a great day for our schools and our community. This underscores the value our community puts on education,” Tipp City Superintendent Gretta Kumpf said.

In the Bethel Local Schools, voters considered a 2-mill, five-year request for capital improvements and a 7-mill, five-year levy for operating. Both expire in December. The unofficial vote showed the 2-mill levy passing by 60.17 to 39.83 percent and the 7-mill levy approved 58.9 percent to 41.1 percent. The capital improvement levy generates $206,160 a year according to the Miami County Auditor’s Office. The operating levy raises $1,032,718 a year.

Both school LEBANON — issues in Warren County were approved by 67 percent of voters, according to unofficial results Tuesday.

Voters in Carlisle cast ballots in favor of a 6.2-mill bond issue to pay for demolition of the district’s existing schools and construction of a single, new K-12 school building.

“Huge, huge victory. It’s a great day in the history of Carlisle schools,” Superintendent Larry Hook said.

The vote count was 1,600785 in Warren and Montgomery counties.

The state agreed to pay 59 percent of the $49 million project if voters approved the bond for the local share. The 37-year issue will cost the owner of a $100,000 home $217 per year.

The state rates all of Carlisle’s existing school buildings as “borderline,” but Superintendent Larry Hook went through a laundry list of problems, from out-of-warranty roofs, to aging boilers and wiring problems that limit computer usage.

The new school would be constructed between the existing high school and the stadium.

Voters supported a threeyear renewal levy for Lebanon City Schools that actually decreased the tax millage. The count was 1,779-871. The levy was passed three years ago at 5.38 mills, but the school district put it on the ballot this time at 4.84 mills. Because of an increased tax base in the school district, the levy will still raise $4.2 million per year for the district.

“The passage of this school levy is an incredible testament to what the Lebanon community believes about kids and the importance of education. On behalf of the Board of Education and every student in our district, I want to thank the community for its positive vote,” Superintendent Todd Yohey said in a prepared statement.