Bright Local seeks levy volunteers

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The Bright Local School District has planned an organizational meeting for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15 at Bright Elementary for anyone interested in helping it pass a permanent improvement levy that will be on the November general election ballot.

“Anyone that wants to help out or assist, we are asking that they come to the meeting and help us get organized,” superintendent Ted Downing said.

He said that once a committee is organized, future public meetings will be scheduled to explain the levy.

Following are points from a levy fact sheet provided by Downing:

* The levy is for three mills. It is a property tax levy, which would cost the homeowner $52.50 annually per $50,000 appraised value (or CAUV farmland). For $100,000 in valuation the cost would be $105 a year.

* After 2020, a 0.5-mill levy will fall off, reducing property taxes by $8.75 annually for $50,000 appraised value. For $100,000 in appraised valuation property taxes will drop $17.50 per year.

* Bright Local has the lowest effective millage of 14 school districts in the area.

* The district has not received any new operating levies in more than 40 years. Except for bond issues, the district has not passed a levy since prior to 1976.

* By law, funds produced by the levy’s passage could not be used for employee salaries and benefits.

* Permanent improvement funds can only be used for the maintenance, improvement, or purchase of physical assets with an expected life of at least five years.

* The levy funds would be used to support the district’s 10-year capital spending plan, which focuses on building security, maintenance of existing facilities, bus replacement, additional parking at both buildings, technology, and potentially the addition of new facilities (a track).

* The district’s bus fleet has six buses with more than 200,000 miles. To maintain a cost effective bus fleet the district needs to replace a bus at least every other year.

“The district needs to be good caretakers of the taxpayers’ investment,” Downing wrote in a news release. “A permanent improvement levy will ensure that the distict’s facilities continue to be maintained independent of school funding imposed by the state.”

Jeff Gilliland is the editor of The Times-Gazette. He can be reached at [email protected] or 937-402-2522.

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Organizational meeting planned for Aug. 15

By Jeff Gilliland

[email protected]

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