November 7, 2023 Ballot Issue

Greeneview will have one combined bond issue/Permanent Improvement (PI) levy on the ballot in November that addresses three areas:

1. building renovations and construction at the current Middle School and High School
2. construction of a field house and practice fields at Greeneview High School
3. maintenance and upkeep of our new and renovated facilities

A bond issue raises money that, by law, can be used only for capital costs –building construction and/or renovations – and is used to finance permanent improvements, which is any property or asset having an estimated useful life of five years or more.  Think of it like a mortgage for a school building. The funds are deposited into the bond retirement fund of the School District (002), and that fund is used to pay the principal and interest payments as they come due. 

An operating levy generates money to support a district's operating costs, such as salaries, educational programs, activities, and more. The purpose of this levy is to finance the operating costs of the District.  The funds are deposited into the general fund of the School District (001).

Another type of levy is a Permanent Improvement (PI) levy, which is for capital improvement projects, maintenance and repairs of school property, and certain equipment items that are designed to last five years or more.  For example, these funds can purchase technology, heating and air conditioning systems, roofs, or other facility upgrades.  The funds are deposited into the PI fund (003). 

To reduce expenses, the District has:

1. focused on identification of needs to prioritize our work
2. maximized state and federal grant funds where applicable
3. maximized staff time and resources
4. thoughtfully selected district providers and conducted vendor audits 
5. prioritized appropriate, long-term solutions over quick fixes that often end up costing more in the long run
6. established a proactive and preventative master facility maintenance plan
7. utilized community resources when available

The Ohio Facilities Construction Committee (OFCC) will fund:

• classrooms
• offices
• Physical Education (PE) spaces
• auditerias

The OFCC will not fund: 

• fixed seating auditoriums
• transportation facilities
• stadiums
• tennis courts
• tracks
• land acquisition

Our maintenance and custodial staffs have worked hard to maintain the quality of each of our buildings. Especially for our Elementary building, however, the need lies within the roof, behind the walls, and under the ground in electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems that become costly to maintain as they age. With increased costs, hard-to-find parts, and intensive labor required, patching and repairing the Elementary's infrastructure is no longer cost-effective. 

Additionally, before the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) will take part in a project, they must conduct an assessment of our buildings. If the renovation costs of a building meet or exceed two-thirds (66 percent) of the cost to build a new building, the OFCC recommends that the building be replaced. When the OFCC assessed our current Elementary school building, they determined that the renovations required would exceed the two-thirds rule.

The Community Advisory Team, made up of a cross-section of representative stakeholders of the Greeneview Local School District, met from October 2022 to April 2023 to advise the District on community values, priorities, and potential facility options in the master facility planning process. This team discussed many options and nothing was off the table. After considering both two- and three-building options, the Community Advisory Team ultimately found it to be more efficient and cost-effective to have all of our students together in two campuses on Cottonville Road.

The estimated cost per $100,000 of appraised home value is $15.87 per month or $190.44 annually. 

Click here for a graphic to help calculate your estimated monthly cost. 

The bonded debt will be issued for 37 years.

The permanent improvement (PI) levy is a continuing levy.  There is no expiration date.  

Yes. In 1998, the voters in the Greeneview Local School District passed a 2.5 mill bond issue to build the current high school.  The bonds were issued in 1999 and refinanced in 2007 and 2017 to save taxpayers over $500,000 over the life of the bond issue.

These bonds will be paid off in December of 2026.  The millage rate on these bonds is 2.32 mills.  

The District intends to work with our municipal advisors and bond underwriters in order to defer tax collections on the new bond issue until the old bond issue drops off residents' tax bills.

All architectural and design work is paid for with the proceeds of the combined bond issue/PI levy and will not occur until the community passage of the ballot issue. The design stage typically takes approximately twelve months to complete.

Full construction of a project can take up to four years to complete from the time a ballot issue is passed. However, extenuating circumstances may delay the project. The District will inform the community of projected construction timelines throughout the project.

Though there are a variety of options that could benefit both the schools and the community, decisions regarding the current Elementary School space do not need to be made at this time. We will monitor enrollment throughout the project and plan accordingly. The current stadium will be for competition only, with the development of a stadium on Cottonville Road as the goal for a future project.  

Greeneview Elementary School will serve grades PreK-4. Greeneview Middle School will serve grades 5-8. Greeneview High School will serve grades 9-12. Greeneview Middle School and Greeneview High School will be located on a combined campus space – functioning independently of one another – but allowing for shared services, as needed. 

The District is committed to a long-term master facilities plan that meets the needs of all students and staff. Should the ballot issue not pass in November, the District will evaluate feedback and develop next steps, while continuing to save and fundraise for the construction of a new field house. 

School districts that participate in a matching funds program of the Ohio Facilities Construction Commision (OFCC) are permitted by Ohio Revised Code Section 3318.052 (E) to issue bonds backed by an income tax.  However, this authority is limited in that the bonds must be for the purpose of the local match ONLY and may only have a maximum term of 23 years, which is significantly shorter than most bonds backed by a property tax.  

In order to try and keep the millage as low as possible, the District plans to issue the bonds for 37 years, so an income tax was not an option for Greeneview.  In addition, bonds could only be issued for the local share (38%) of the co-funded project with the OFCC and could not include any locally funded initiatives. 

No.  Taxes do not increase in direct proportion with an increase in property value.  The market value of a property is the value that the county auditor thinks your home is worth or can be sold for.  The assessed value of a property is the value used to TAX a home.  In the State of Ohio, all agricultural and residential property is assessed at a rate of 35%.

Therefore, in the above example, 35% of the home with a new market value of $150,000 is $52,500. 

The amount of taxes then depends on how many mills are levied on a property.   If the millage is 10 mills (as an example), the gross taxes on the home above would be $52,500 x .010 mills or $525/year. 

Click here for a graphic to help calculate your estimated monthly cost for the ballot issue based on the updated assessed value of your home.

The estimated monthly cost of $15.87 per $100,000 home is for the new bond issue/PI levy and will be in addition to the other taxes that property owners currently pay.

That being said, Greeneview has an old bond issue that will be paid off in December of 2026.  The millage on that debt is 2.32 mills, and it costs roughly $6.77 for a home with an appraised value of $100,000. The District intends to work with our financial advisors and the county auditor to structure the new bond issue in such a way that we pay off the existing debt and use it to lower the millage on the new issue. This, in turn, can possibly lower the cost to taxpayers. 

You can think of it like trading in a car when you buy a new one. Trading in your old car helps to keep your payments on the new car lower or equal to your current payments.

Yes, registered voters that live in the Greeneview Local School District are still eligible to vote on the ballot issue even if they don't have children attending schools in the district. 

Yes, property renters can vote on the ballot issue as long as they meet the basic requirement for voting in any election. They must be:

• U.S. Citizen

• At least 18 years of age

• Registered to vote

• Resident of the Greeneview Local School District

Yes, as long as the renter meets the basic requirement for voting, renters are still eligible to vote even if their landlord is responsible for paying property taxes.

You can find out if your address is within the boundaries of Greeneview Local School District by following this link.