Wanting to avoid what interim board president Kevin Romanchok described as "voter fatigue" with school levies, the approved a plan at Thursday's meeting to combine two operating levies set to expire into one.
The now-single levy received a unanimous vote for a resolution of necessity, which is needed to submit to the Lorain County Auditor to determine millage. The board would have to approve submitting it to the voters by Dec. 7 to get it on the ballot for the March primary vote.
'This way, we're not putting one on the ballot and then coming back six months later asking for another one," Romanchok said.
The levies would be 10-year levies.
Since these are renewal levies, said treasurer Kent Zeman, there would be no increase in costs for homeowners. In fact, he added, the cost would be less per home since levies are for dollar amounts, not mills.
Since there are more homes now than there were in 2002, he said, each home's share is less.
With the failure of Issue 8, the $32 million to build a new Avon Middle School, the board approved a resolution of necessity for it so that it could be on the March primary ballot.
"This doesn't mean it will be on the March ballot," Romanchok said. "This just gives us the option of doing so."
The board also approved some salaries for this school year, including superintendent Jim Reitenbach ($100,000), Zeman ($112,550.88), School principal Yolanda Little ($75,325), principal Sherry Szczepanski ($84,357.50), principal Brent Betts ($83,717.50), principal Jason Call ($82,000), prinicipal Craig Koehler ($96,517.50), and athletic director Erich Frombach ($80,450).
