By Andrew Walsh
awalsh@wbcowqel.com
“We have some tough decisions to make.” That this statement by Jennifer Kuns could have been offered up by any one of the Galion administration members goes a long way to proving its importance, and its truth.
Galion’s proposed levy of 9.4 mills, which was on the ballot Nov. 5, was defeated quite handily for the third straight time by receiving only roughly 37 percent of the “yes” vote.
In discussing what to do next, Kuns added, “The community has said the last three times, ‘We’re not for it’.”
As true as that is, the current funding situation with the district needs to be addressed and the board is looking at options.
The first, and most obvious, option would be to return to the ballot yet again in May. There was by no means unanimous favor for this action, but the administration will be doing its due diligence toward this possibility. If this course of action were taken the necessary filings would need to be completed by the beginning of February, and a consultation with the County Auditor’s office would need to be completed in regard to levy amounts. While the Board is not decided that this will be the step taken, preparations are still being made to go down this route if in case they do.
There are obvious concerns about this potential action. The first being that, while yes votes have increased for the levy, they have been by very small amounts and the most recent return of 37 percent yes is hardly encouraging. The other, perhaps larger, concern is that Galion has a levy that will be up for renewal in 2015. This renewal levy generates more revenue than the new levy would, and the administration is justifiably concerned about jeopardizing its success by returning with a levy that has already failed three times.
“We cannot lose that renewal. We just can’t,” Kuns stated.
To help clear some of the doom and gloom, Board President Dennis Long cited some encouraging statistics from the most recent election. Statewide, about 80 percent of the renewal levies passed, but the converse of that was only about 15 percent of the new money levies made it through. This shows that Galion is not the only district struggling to raise new funds, but bodes well (if these numbers hold) for their chances to retain the monies they have.
“Maybe the community doesn’t understand everything we’ve already given up,” Kuns continued, citing the $3.5 million that they have slashed from the budget.
Brian Owens agreed with the substance of what Kuns said, that much has been cut from the school, but offered a different perspective as to how that could be best conveyed to the community. He stated his opinion that they draft a list of the positions, programs, and activities that have been cut due to budget constraints, to help people understand everything that truly has been removed.
“When you see a list of what we’ve cut, it’s not just a number,” Owens said.
Another option being discussed is the possibility of going to the voters with an income tax, as opposed to a property tax. Although this too does not exactly bring with it a great history as Long reported that an income tax was also placed on the ballot three different times and met with three defeats.
Yet another alternative was briefly mentioned in the form of a sales tax, but that met with a lukewarm reception at best and George McElligott was particularly critical. As with the option of returning to the ballot, the proper due diligence is being conducted on these options before a decision is reached.
The golf team received certificates before the meeting, to congratulate them for winning the NCC and advancing to the State District Tournament as a team. Team members were Eric Powell, Seth Van Dine, Conner Campbell, Evan Huggins, Spencer Reynolds, and Nick Kruger. Powell was singled out for special recognition as he advanced to the state tournament as an individual.