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Elections board gets revised levy for Middletown schools

Middletown City Schools officials says the millage change will not raise taxes on current property.

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By Marie Rossiter, Staff Writer 3:12 AM Friday, March 19, 2010

MIDDLETOWN — The Butler County Board of Elections will likely vote at its meeting today, March 19, to put Middletown City Schools’ revised levy resolution on the May ballot, according Betty McGary, election board director.

The action comes one day after the Middletown school board approved and sent the amended resolution for recertification. The board of education acted after a Butler County Auditor’s Office miscalculation detected by district Treasurer Lisa Fahncke. She found that the levy’s millage rate should be 18.78 mills, instead of the auditor’s originally certified amount of 17.51 mills.

Fahncke said something about the latest numbers from the auditor’s office “didn’t seem right.” After not getting the answers she needed from auditor officials, she studied state and county tax forms and found a basic clerical error that incorrectly showed a more than $1 million increase in state funding, which lead to the millage miscalculation.

McGary said the revised resolution was sent to the Ohio Secretary of State and County Prosecutor to review, like any other levy would need before going before the board of elections.

“Once we receive the resolution back from these officials, we will review it and put in a request for the amendment if it meets all Ohio Revised Code regulations,” McGary said. “I anticipate we would then vote to approve to put it back on the ballot with the amended amount.”

From there, the election board will update its ballot databases, and print ballots will be created.

The change will not affect the $18.3 million in tax revenue requested in the original levy resolution approved by the board and certified by the county Auditor’s Office for the May 4 primary election. The substitute levy replaces two current operating levies which account for 26 percent of the district’s budget and will expire in December.

District spokeswoman Debbie Alberico said the levy is not a new tax and does not raise taxes on current property.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or mrossiter@coxohio.com.

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