HOWLAND Officials examine tax-cut requests

The reductions would mean a loss of almost $1 million per year.
By ANGELA V. WOODHULL
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HOWLAND -- The board of education and township trustees are teaming up to investigate personal property tax reductions requested by Delphi Automotive Systems and WCI Steel that would reduce revenue to the school district by about $1 million annually.
Delphi informed the school board this summer the company has applied for $19 million in tax reductions. The WCI amount was not immediately known. Company tax reductions must be approved by the state.
Spearheaded by township Administrator Darlene St. George, the township and the school board will each pay no more than $5,000 to Atty. John R. Varanese to determine if machinery, which the two companies plan to depreciate to zero value, are still being utilized in the manufacturing process to make a profit.
In the past, the state allowed manufacturers to depreciate only to 20 percent.
"We've written the auditors of Ohio to see what the equipment is worth. We've asked them to expedite their investigation because the process can generally take up to five years to complete," Superintendent John Rubesich said.
Last school year, the Howland district experienced a decrease of about 4 percent in operating funds because of lower interest rates, less investment money, state funding cuts, delinquent property taxes, and a 22 percent increase in hospitalization insurance, school officials have said.
Unaware it would soon be facing a potential extra $1 million loss, the district asked for, and voters approved, a 5-mill, five-year additional levy May 6 that will generate an additional $3 million per year beginning in March.
Budget
The board Monday approved a school year operating budget of $34,338,115. This figure represents a 2.23 percent increase in overall expenditures and a 3.43 percent increase in general fund spending, far less than the normal annual increase of 5 percent, officials said.
The decrease is attributed to the fact that no new buses or textbooks, except for replacement texts, will be purchased this year. The current budget, unlike previous years, has no carryover.
"It's a very conservative budget," said treasurer Thomas Krispinsky. "There's no frills."
In addition, all employees have agreed to a salary freeze for six months to help the struggling system.
Other action
A 1995 Chevy van has been donated to the district by Neal Barkett. It will replace a 1987 van that Rubesich said needs to be "put to rest."
The board renewed a contract with Children's Rehabilitation Center which provides additional speech-language therapy treatment, evaluations, and consultative services at $42 per hour to about 400 special-needs students when the regular staff is shorthanded.
It was reported that a drainage ditch adjacent to the baseball field behind H.C. Mine Elementary School, unattended for more than a decade with overgrown cat tails and other debris, was cleaned and sprayed last week.
Water from "The Woods" development overflowed from the ditch into the ball field and then to homes on Cain Street. Krispinsky is hopeful that cleaning the ditch will eliminate the flooding.
It was announced that 16 substitute teachers have been approved as SMART supervisors for the 2003/2004 school year.
The Saturday detention program, which started three years ago and served high school seniors only, has been expanded to include grades 5 through 12. The program gives students a last chance to improve their behavior before being suspended.
The board is still seeking substitute bus drivers. Applications are available at the board offices.