Youngstown school levy will appear on November ballot

YOUNGSTOWN — The director of the Mahoning County Board of Elections said issues with the city school district tax levy have been resolved and it will appear before voters on the Nov. 4 ballot.

The district is seeking voter approval of a four-year, 9.5-mill tax levy that it says is needed to help eliminate a general fund deficit.

The bid for a five-year, 9.5-mill levy has been rejected three times by voters. The city school board opted to go for a shorter term tax this time. The levy would generate $5.3 million a year in new revenue.

The original wording for the ballot contained a conflict in terms, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office which last week rejected the levy from inclusion on the ballot. The language referred to the tax as both a four-year and a five-year levy.

School district officials said it was only a typographical error that could be easily corrected.

A revised form of the language was submitted to the county elections board, and the state approved the new version calling for a four-year tax, said Thomas McCabe, director of the board of elections.