Youngstown Daily Legal News

Bill lets school districts levy property taxes for safety, security measures

TIFFANY L. PARKS
Special to the Legal News
Published: March 14, 2013

One of the joint sponsors of Senate Bill 42 has said the bill is rooted in giving local school districts the opportunity to keep their children safe the best way they see fit.

“Several weeks ago, the Vermilion School District in Erie and Lorain counties asked us to consider allowing districts greater ability to meet the needs of the district with respect to school safety and security,” said Sen. Gayle Manning, R-Ridgeville. “Current Ohio law does not permit school districts to request levies that would be earmarked for such purpose.”

SB 42 would change that.

“Our permissive legislation provides schools with this additional option,” Manning said.

The bill, jointly sponsored by Manning and Sen. Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green, would authorize school districts to levy a property tax exclusively for school safety and security purposes.

An analysis of SB 42 states that any such levy would have to comply with the same requirements that apply to general school district levies in excess of the 10-mill limitation.

Under Ohio law, school district boards of education can propose a levy in excess of the 10-mill limitation for current expenses, general permanent improvements, specific improvements or a class of improvements that may be included in a single bond issue. They also can propose a levy for the support of a public library, parks and recreational purposes, the construction and operation of a community center, the operation of a cultural center, education technology or if the district is a municipal school district, for the current operating expenses of both the district and its partnering community schools.

“The resolution to levy the tax must be limited to only one of (those) purposes,” the analysis reads, adding that if voters approve the levy, revenue from the tax could only be used for that purpose.

Manning emphasized that the bill’s provisions would be an option only for local communities.

“Just as I believe that there are certain issues at the federal level that should be devolved to the states, I believe that there are also issues in which we can give our local leaders the ability to decide what is best for their community,” she said.

“We seek to only provide them with another tool to keep our children safe. While we continue to search for ways to ensure the safety of our state’s greatest assets through different legislative taskforces, Sen. Gardner and I believe this is common sense legislation that satisfies the requests of school districts that would like to consider this local option.”

SB 42 is co-sponsored by Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati.

The bill has had two hearings before the Senate Ways and Means committee.

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