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School, road levies to be decided in Hubbard on May 3
Hubbard tax issues
Hubbard Exempted Village School District: A 5.45-mill, 5-year renewal levy to provide for the emergency requirements of the school district to raise $1,218,709 annually.
Hubbard Township: A 1-mill, 5-year additional levy to provide for the general construction, reconstruction, resurfacing and repair of streets, roads and bridges to raise $98,736 annually.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
HUBBARD
Hubbard school district and township residents will vote on tax levies May 3.
Hubbard Exempted Village School District is seeking approval of a 5.45-mill, five-year renewal levy.
For the first time in township history, residents will vote on a 1-mill, five-year road-department levy. The township was established in 1801.
Rhonda Baldwin, treasurer and chief financial officer of the school district, said the funds go into the general operating budget and can be used for everything from supplies to salaries. The 2010-11 school budget is about $22 million.
The school renewal levy generates $1,218,709 annually.
She explained the levy decreased by .05 mill because it is based on the valuation of the district. “It decreases or increases with property values,” Baldwin said.
The tax had been $55 on a $100,000 residence; if the levy is passed, it will be $54.50 on that residence. The current levy expires in 2012. Baldwin said the school district wanted to get it on the ballot early.
The township road department levy is projected to raise about $98,000 annually. On a $100,000 residence, the annual cost would be $35.
Sue Goterba, township fiscal officer, said the 2010 road-department budget was $440,000; to maintain the status quo, the 2011 budget would be at that figure or more. Its funds are derived from state money, property taxes, motor-vehicle-license taxes and gas-tax receipts. The township’s overall budget for 2011 will be about $2.1 million
Goterba said 2010’s gas-tax receipts were projected to be $118,000, and the township received $100,000. The trustees noted a decline in state funds for the township and in gas-tax receipts.
By Ohio law, road maintenance is one of the mandates for township government.
The trustees said a combination of factors led to the decision to put the road levy on the ballot. Snow-removal and salt- and slag-treatment costs have risen along with maintenance costs.
The township has applied for and received various grants to improve roads, but it also has had to provide “matching funds,” and that has decreased road-department funds.