Board faces decision

The Tipp City Exempted Village Schools Board of Education said Thursday it would vote Monday on whether to go before voters in November with a new proposal for funding classroom construction or, instead, do a community survey to gauge voter support of options before returning to the ballot for classroom money in 2020.

Three of five board members discussed construction and funding options during a special meeting Thursday.

In the end, the board asked Treasurer Dave Stevens to prepare documents that would allow the board to ask the county auditor to certify numbers for construction options or a proposed renewal of a five-year, 4.95-mill emergency levy that expires at the end of 2020. If the board approves a direction Monday, it then would meet again Wednesday, Aug. 7, to ask the board of elections to place the selected issue on the November ballot. The filing deadline for November is Aug. 7.

The board had discussed asking voters in November to approve remodeling and an addition at L.T. Ball school for prekindergarten through grade five with 100 percent local funding. The same proposal, but with a portion of funding through Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, was proposed in May and defeated.

Stevens said board members were told last week that option was not possible because the district had failed to meet a July deadline for filing a bond issue request that would not include OFCC money. NANCY BOWMAN, CONTRIBUTING WRITER