BELMONT — The Union Local Board of Education held its first meeting to speak to the public and answer questions about an 8.25-mill, 37-year bond issue for building improvements that will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot.
More than two dozen people attended with questions and concerns.
Superintendent Zac Shutler noted the importance of making a case before the voters.
“We understand that it’s a massive ask,” he said.
He began with a breakdown of facts, saying there has been some misinformation circulating but McKinley Architecture and Engineering has provided architectural renderings and the district has a breakdown of costs. He said the majority of funds raised will not go to athletics as has been rumored.
“The facts paint a pretty clear picture,” he said.
Shutler said 45 percent of the funds will go to academics and classrooms, with 27 percent for plumbing, heating and air conditioning and air quality, 19 percent for athletic facilities and 9 percent for security. Improvements will include separate bus lanes and a rain shield for the elementary school, extensive building improvements for the middle school and roofing and a new STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math, room for the high school, as well as additional security for the buildings.
He also said Union Local residents pay the lowest property taxes out of all the school districts in Belmont County.
Robert Johnen of Flushing had several questions, beginning with the financial impact of the bond issue on residents. He said he pays $800 annually in taxes for the district.
Mike Burns, an investment banker with the financial services firm Baird, said tax bills will be assessed by taxable value, not real property value.
He recommends looking up property values on the county auditor’s website and calculating the amount that would be owed based on that.
“It’s typically about 35 percent of what their home value is,” Burns said of the assessed property values.
Johnen said his house is valued at $178,000. Burns said he would pay an extra $500 a year.
“No one wants taxes to go up,” Shutler said.
Board member Terry Puperi and others said the buildings date from the 1960s (middle school) and late 1990s (high school and elementary) and are wearing out at the same rate, and costs are unlikely to decrease as time goes on.
Johnen said properties will be re-evaluated next year and property taxes likely will increase regardless of the bond issue’s fate. In answer to another question, he was told the bond issue will be based on current valuations, not any upcoming ones.
Johnen also asked if the cost of returfing the football field would be close to $1 million, since he was told that was likely the cost. Johnen said this is an unnecessary expense since the varsity team only plays five home games each year.
Shutler responded that there is the potential to make it a multi-purpose field, which could be used by the soccer team and other groups.
Shutler said a 0.5-mill maintenance levy will also be on the ballot to allow for upkeep during the 37 years.
“We’re trying to be good stewards of your money,” he said, adding that the board found this more efficient than taking on maintenance in phases and asking for $5 million and $10 million at a time.
Puperi and recently retired treasurer Janet Hissrich spoke, saying about $5 million has been spent during the last three to four years on issues including air quality control. And while some of this was funded with coronavirus relief funds, this will not continue to be the case.
“We’ve done as much as we possibly could before we have to come to the voters. We’ve leveraged every dollar we possibly could,” Hissrich said.
Hissrich added that the most recent levy the district is currently collecting taxes on was passed in 1976.
They noted that the money would be restricted for buildings only. The majority would be spent on renovations with few new additions.
Puperi said for Fiscal Year 2024, which began in July and will end this coming June, Union Local will receive only $14,000 in additional funding compared to FY 2023. Puperi said all of the proposed renovations were planned with academics in mind.
If the measure is passed, the design phase would last 12-18 months, then construction could begin with the district deciding what to prioritize.
Sheri McElroy, middle school art teacher, spoke about the state of infrastructure.
“There’s so many problems with the plumbing. We’ve had issues with backup, with clogged drains,” she said. “I spend a huge chunk of my life in this building, and we’re in desperate need of upgrades.”
Johnen still had reservations.
“This is totally overboard. It’s just too much. That’s my opinion,” he said.
He also said many voters may not want to be held under a 37-year bond issue when they may suffer economically or lose employment and be unable to pay.
“There’s a lot of people out there who are a lot older and who are on a fixed income. If their house value’s at a certain point with everything else going up and they can’t pay for their property taxes, what are they going to do? You can have a new turf field. … There’s a lot of people living paycheck to paycheck, Social Security check to Social Security check. … You’re asking for too much.”
Puperi agreed that voters should consider their financial situations, but he only expects costs to rise.
“Look at your financial income, vote accordingly. But when you do that, do me a favor: think about the students of our district, where they’re headed and what we can teach them here to make them headed in the right direction.”
Board members Larry Cain and Shaun Roe will be heading up a committee in charge of reaching out to the public with information. They hope to build a committee of community and business leaders and other stakeholders in the area. For more information or to volunteer for the committee, they can be reached at sroe@ulschools.com and lcaine@ulschools.com. The district office can be reached at 740-782-1978.
