Saturday, August 23, 2008
SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR
NEW SPRINGFIELD – Springfield Township trustees passed a 2-mill renewal police levy in an emergency meeting Friday, but the action may not be enough to have the tax issue placed on the November ballot.
Township Fiscal Officer Patti Gibson said Thursday that the Mahoning County Auditor’s office did not send her the usual letter notifying her that the levy — which has been collected since 1997 — was up for renewal in November.
She said trustees set Friday’s special meeting to try to get the levy on the ballot, but she said the trustees’ action might not be enough because the filing deadline was Thursday for issues to appear on the ballot.
Gibson said that paperwork sent to her earlier in the year by the auditor’s office listed the 2-mill levy as having been renewed in May 2007. Gibson said that she believes this was incorrect, however, and that she doubts it was renewed at that time.
She said she will complete her research and have an answer by Monday.
She said the worst-case scenario would be that the levy could not be put on the ballot until February, which would mean a lapse in collection of levy receipts.