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McDonald schools look into utility bills
By Mary Smith
McDONALD
The McDonald Board of Education has hired a Powell, Ohio-based firm to look through its utility company bills and see if there are refunds due to the district.
The board hired Utility Refund Corp./Marn Enterprise, through local representative Joe Angelo of Warren.
The company looks at utility bills for the district going back four years. It makes sure the district got any credits or special rates that it is due.
In theory, schools treasurer Brian Stidham said, the district will realize savings going forward.
The company earns 50 percent of any savings it discovers, but if none are found, works at no cost to the district.
Stidham explained hiring the company is just another way the district is looking for extra money.
The board also accepted the following donations: Tim Cherotti, $2,000 donation to football program; Jack Shimko, $1,100 donation in Jenny Shimko’s name to football program; Brian Fedyski; $50 donation in Jenny Shimko’s name to football program and a $26,096 donation to the Dolly Ann Prinz Toto Scholarship Fund. The fund was recently created with a $100,000 donation as a start.
Board member Jeffrey Hughes noted that the superintendent’s advisory board for a new levy proposal has been working toward making a recommendation about a possible levy on the May 3, 2011, ballot.
The committee has met two or three times but Superintendent Barry Morrison’s planned report to the board had to be delayed because he could not attend the meeting because of inclement weather.