The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Substitute levy on March 17 ballot for North Ridgeville City Schools
Voters in the North Ridgeville City School District have a levy to consider March 17.
The district has a 10year, 11.72-mill substitute levy for necessary requirements on the ballot.
The levy would cost $358.93 annually per $100,000 home valuation, according to the Lorain County Auditor’s Office.
Superintendent Roxann Ramsey-Caserio said the levy is not a new tax for current North Ridgeville residents.
“The substitute levy is a new version of the four existing emergency levies,” Ramsey-Caserio said. “The levy covers the operational costs for the district, and not passing it would be detrimental.
“This issue accounts for 40 percent of our local operating revenue.”
Ramsey-Caserio said the district, which saw the levy fail on the Nov. 5 ballot, has changed the proposed length of the levy.
“It has changed to 10 years as opposed to ‘continuing,’” she said. “We heard loud and clear from our community that they want the ability to come back after 10 years and reevaluate.
“We felt that was more than a fair request.”
Ramsey-Caserio said the district is not asking for new money.
“In 2012, we passed our last operating issue with the promise to the community to not come back in 10 years, and we maintain that promise,” she said. “We are not asking for new money with Issue 13 (the levy on the March 17 ballot).”
Ramsey-Caserio said the substitute nature of the levy will allow the district to capture growth on new operating dollars levied on new assessed properties.
“It will maintain current programming of highquality staff and continue to maintain our facilities and grounds,” she said. “It also allows us to be fiscally responsible to the community ... this will allow us to come to you one time every 10 years.
“With the substitute levy, we stand to gain $4,102 for each million dollars of newly assessed construction. That money would be on top of the original collection of $10.6 million (revenue generated annually from the levy).”
Ramsey-Caserio said the additional funds generated with newly assessed construction could mean big things for the district over the 10-year period with the schools gaining approximately an additional $13 million.