ST. PARIS – The Graham school board took the initial steps toward having a levy on the May 7 ballot.

Following an executive session during Wednesday’s meeting, the board unanimously approved two resolutions requesting certification of alternative tax rates.

“This resolution primarily is a resolution that will go to the tax commissioner in the state of Ohio,” Graham Treasurer Judy Geers said prior to the board voting. “Basically they will return to us what kind of an income tax rate that will result in using the numbers that we’ve asked for in this resolution which was ($2,488,495) million as a traditional income tax.

“The next resolution that’s on the agenda is for an earned income tax and that is to generate ($2,076,079) million as an earned income tax,” Geers said. “Both of these resolutions – if you vote on either one of them or both of them – does not hook you in to either one of them. When you make your second resolution that will be the one that will be the final one to move forward to put the item on the ballot.

Voters rejected the last three earned income levies Graham placed on the ballot. Most recently, voters rejected Graham’s levy last November 54 percent to 45 percent.

In other action:

•As part of the organizational meeting, council re-appointed board member Ryan Pine as board president and board member Steve Setty as vice president.

•As part of the financial consent agenda, the board unanimously approved a $325 donation from an anonymous donor for money towards free and reduced cost lunches as well as an $800 donation for the preschool program from Adam and Rhiannon Rose.