By Alixandria Wells-Good
Contributing writer
MECHANICSBURG – Mechanicsburg Exempted Schools is returning to the ballot on March 19 to ask the community to vote on an emergency levy renewal.
According to the Ohio School Board Association, an emergency levy is “a property tax that serves as a limited operating levy (maximum of 10 years) proposed for a specific dollar amount. Because the dollar amount of taxes charged by the levy must stay constant, the millage rate increases or decreases as property values change. Emergency levies may be renewed for the dollar amount originally requested or with an increase or decrease.”
According to information provided by Mechanicsburg Exempted Schools, this levy has been collected by the district since 1990 and is currently reflected on taxpayers’ county tax statements. The district receives $189,000 annually from this levy. The funds from this levy are used to pay general operating costs of the district which include salaries, benefits, electricity, gas, supplies and other needs.
This levy costs home owners less than $6 a month per $100,000 of home value.
The emergency levy is for a 10-year period of time, which reduces the school’s expense of paying for it to be on the ballot more often, and “reduces voter fatigue.”
Public school districts use a combination of state funds, local property taxes (and, in some cases, school district income taxes) and federal funds. Levies are the main method through which districts can get funding from residents. They lock in a rate that property owners will pay over a set period of time, based on property values at the time of the levy passing.
Mechanicsburg Exempted School District was on the ballot in November of 2023 with this levy; however, voters did not pass it. According to results on the Ohio Board of Elections website, out of 1,632 votes, 798 (48.9%) voted for the tax levy in November while 834 (51.1%) voted against it.
Upon request by the Urbana Daily Citizen, the district shared a list of recent facility upgrades, many of which were grant-funded, to help voters understand how money is being spent within the district:
-Roof replacement (district funded)
Installed a metal roofing system to replace the failing shingled roof on the existing building; this project was financed for a period of 15 years and the loan is paid from capital improvement dollars which is a continuing levy in the district.
-Access Control System (grant funded)
Updated door mechanicals and power supplies on all doors with readers; replaced door readers; added door sensors to all outside facing doors and 6th grade air handler.
-Replaced outdated Aiphones
Allowed school to have one system to create/print badges and manage access control; allows school to get email notifications when one of these doors is propped/held open.
-Created a protocol for addressing notifications
Aiphone replacement replaced outdated equipment as well as improved visibility of person at door.
-Paging/bell system (grant funded)
Replaced outdated/not cyber secure/malfunctioning system.
-Weight room (district funded)
Building repairs and upgrades after frozen pipes flooded the space in December of 2022.
-MARCs repeater (grant funded)
Installed infrastructure (cabling/repeaters across entire physical building) to eliminate dead zones for first responder radios within the building; connected this system to fire panel notification so that they know if there is an issue.
-External sign upgrade (grant funded)
Communication between physical building and outdoor sign was identified as not secure by cyber security; updated sign to eliminate vulnerability.
-Sound upgrade (grant funded)
Upgraded main gym sound with omnidirectional speakers and new back-end hardware; replace broken auxiliary gym back-end hardware; upgraded commons sound system to include better handheld and lapel mics and replaced some back-end equipment. Some of the equipment used for this project was repurposed from the installation of the new scoreboard.
-Scoreboard (district funded, receiving sponsorships to offset cost)
Purchase and installation of video production equipment in the press box to interface with the scoreboard for creating, pushing content.
-Visitor bleacher expansion (grant funded)
Expanded the visitor side seating, relocated bleachers to the end zone for a dedicated student section, and relocated long jump pits; improved viewing, spectating, and participation in field events.
-Line painter robot (grant and district funded)
District received the Bureau of Workers Compensation grant for a line robot painter; two-thirds of the cost covered by the grant. Partnering with the boosters for the remaining cost.
-Gym/LED Lighting upgrade (district funded)
Lighting upgrades throughout the building, including the gyms, offices, and stairwells. This was done through the general fund. However, the return on investment (ROV) was less than 10 years. It greatly increased the lumens (degree of light) within the redone areas, improving safety and camera footage.
Additional security cameras (grant funded)
Adding several security cameras to eliminate blank spots throughout the district (e.g. stadium) as well as move cameras that are now obstructed by trees.
Additional safety training (grant funded)
Attorney general grant dollars will provide for active shooter training for all staff. With staff turnover, this is an important training for all.
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