School levy deadline

YOUNGSTOWN — The state fiscal oversight commission controlling city school district finances wants the Youngstown school board to come up with plans for a new tax levy by July 12.

The commission, appointed after the state placed Youngstown under fiscal emergency last November, has made no secret of the fact that increased revenue must be part of the financial recovery plan, and that means a tax levy.

The commission, meeting earlier today, directed the school board to work with the Mahoning County auditor to come up with an estimate of the size of levy that would be required.

The district ran a $15 million deficit this year, but school officials said that would be too much to ask taxpayers to cover at one time, pointing out that one mill of tax generates about $500,000 in revenue.

The commission directive said the school board should come up wth a levy plan that would eliminate the deficit within five years.

Voters turned down a 9.5-mill, five-year levy last November that the board had hoped would resolve the deficit issue.