Weathersfield faces crisis as levy fails

A school levy also failed in Bristol. Howland, Warren and Liberty levies passed.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
MINERAL RIDGE -- Superintendent Rocco Adduci expects the state to declare the Weathersfield school district in fiscal emergency after voters' defeat of a 1 percent income tax.
The district already is in fiscal watch. When a district is placed in fiscal emergency, a state commission is appointed to determine where cuts must be made and to oversee district finances.
The income tax, which would have been only for school district residents, would have generated $860,000 annually.
Voters in Bristol also rejected a five-year, 4.9-mill emergency levy for that school district.
Elsewhere
The news was better for the Howland, Warren and Liberty school districts, where voters passed their respective school levies. Warren and Liberty both passed renewal levies.
John Rubesich, Howland superintendent, said passage of the 5-mill, five-year additional levy for emergency requirements means the continuation of quality education for the district.
Voters also passed a 1.5-mill, 10-year renewal levy for programs at Fairhaven, which offers programs for the county's mentally retarded and developmentally disabled residents.
They also gave the nod to a 2-mill, five-year additional levy for fire protection in Bristol Township, and Liberty voters passed a 1.5-mill, five-year renewal levy for the police department.
Another chance
Adduci expects the school board to seek the 1 percent income tax or a property tax levy in November.
"If they don't pass something in November, we won't be looking at cosmetic surgery, we'll be looking at removing an organ," he said.
The district is losing $621,000 in property taxes from RMI Titanium. RMI's accounting firm advised the company in October that, under Ohio law, it need not pay personal property tax on any inventory used to produce material for the U.S. military.
About 30 percent of RMI's business is defense contracts, so that change dropped its taxes about $300,000. The remaining money comes from a general drop in RMI inventory related to the sluggish economy.
Adduci was disappointed in the low voter turnout, which he believes contributed to the issue's defeat.
"We have 1,100 students in the school district and we couldn't even get one parent per school child to come out," he said.
Negative publicity surrounding some residents' concerns about SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, also played a role in the loss, Adduci believes. The district closed school buildings for one day last week after 25 pupils and 14 adult chaperones had made a band parent-sponsored trip to Toronto.
SARS cases had been reported in the Canadian city.
Doctors and health officials have assured school representatives that the pupils were safe during their trip and that the community wasn't at a calculable risk.
A lack of finances could mean the district will have to downsize to two buildings and close the middle school, which is the oldest school building.
"We may have to go to a K through six building and seven through 12 at the high school," Adduci said.