Commission approves levy issue

YOUNGTOWN — The state fiscal oversight commission monitoring city school district spending has given its approval to a plan to put a 9.5-mill levy on the Nov. 6 election ballot.

The city school board passed a resolution earlier this week calling for the five-year levy to be put before voters, and the Financial Planning and Supervision Commission ratified it today.

If voters approve, the levy will produce just over $4 million a year in new revenue. A taxpayer with a $65,000 home would see taxes rise by $165 a year while the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $274 more annually. A $20,000 home would see a $55 increase in the tax bill.

The levy is designed to help wipe out a $15 million budget deficit. The state placed the district in fiscal emergency in November.