Galion City Schools is asking residents to vote on a permanent improvement levy at the ballot box this year.

The levy would fund needed repairs to the campus and vehicles of the school system. The district is asking for 5 mills, which will equal around $14.58 per month on a home worth $100,000. According to the Galion City School District’s estimation, the 5-mill levy will generate around $1 million per year.

While around 90% of school districts in Ohio have some kind of permanent improvement levy in place, Galion has gone without. In 2005, the district received a kind of permanent improvement levy that only applies to new school buildings. This levy generated $80,000 and will expire in 2028. It does not allow the school to purchase larger items like buses.

The levy on this year’s ballot will be what the school district calls its first “true PI levy.” The district’s buildings and infrastructure are just under 20 years old. Until now, there has been little need for significant improvement and repair funds. However, as the buildings near two decades of use, the cost of upkeep is growing.

Heath Watkins, a member of the levy committee, explained the significance of the need.

“We did have a roof leak in one of the buildings last year that, when it was repaired, cost in the neighborhood of $80,000,” Watkins said.

Without a levy in place, the funds for that repair had to come from the school’s general fund, which is not a sustainable option for future issues.

Funds from the levy will also be used to repair existing issues with the HVAC system, replace buses that will soon age out, make technology upgrades, and improve student safety. The money from the levy must be directed toward permanent improvement projects and cannot be redirected to salaries or other school operations.

Watkins said the levy may not initially cover all of the repairs the school district needs to make, but once the initial large repairs are made, 5 mills should cover continued maintenance of the buildings.

If passed, the district will start collecting the levy in 2025.

Watkins said that he understands that voters are taking many additional expenses into consideration this year and may be hesitant to support a new levy.

“I certainly understand the position that anybody takes and their own personal reasoning. For me and my family, we support the levy because we see the need and the need is legitimate,” Watkins said. “I definitely don’t pass judgment on anyone else that’s basing their decision on their own criteria.”

If the levy is not passed, the district will need to pull from its general fund to finance repairs and replace buses.

Hannah Bryan is a correspondent for the Galion Inquirer. She can be reached at [email protected].