Greenon puts tax levy on ballot; would pay to build new garage, athletic room

Voters will decide Nov. 5 whether to approve the five-year, 1.99-mill property tax, which would cost residents $70 annually per $100,000 of property value
Greenon Local School District has moved forward to place the 1.99-mill tax levy that will fund the construction of a new transportation garage and multipurpose room on the November ballot. FILE/BILL LACKEY/STAFF

Credit: Bill Lackey

Credit: Bill Lackey

Greenon Local School District has moved forward to place the 1.99-mill tax levy that will fund the construction of a new transportation garage and multipurpose room on the November ballot. FILE/BILL LACKEY/STAFF

The Greenon school board has voted to place a permanent improvement tax levy on the Nov. 5 ballot, according to Superintendent Darrin Knapke.

The five-year, 1.99-mill tax levy would fund the construction of a new transportation garage and multipurpose room at the current Greenon athletic facility.

The estimated cost for the new garage is $2.1 million, and $400,000 to add a multipurpose room at the athletic facility, which will serve multiple sports teams and community organizations, plus provide space for activities and events.

According to Greenon Treasurer Garth Whitaker, the levy would generate $746,518 annually for a five-year period and cost a taxpayer about $70 a year per $100,000 in appraised property value.

Knapke said the garage will be used for the maintenance, operations and transportation departments, and the multipurpose room will be used by the sports teams and wider community.

An FAQ page on the school district’s website, says it would have cost about $729,000 to repair the existing transportation facility rather than building a new one.

“Given the cost and the uncertainty regarding longevity of the existing facility, the board determined that constructing a new garage makes the most financial sense for the district both in the short and long term,” the page states.

Greenon voters in 2017 approved a bond issue to pay the local share of a $50 million K-12 school. The state paid about $14.6 million for the $50 million school, which opened in September of 2021.

The school is located on the northeast corner of Rebert Pike and Enon-Xenia Road, at the former site of Indian Valley Intermediate School.

For more information and FAQs about the levy, visit www.greenonschools.org/page/levy. Knapke said that page will be updated throughout the process to ensure transparency. For Greenon school district officials’ explanation of how district funding works, visit www.greenonschools.org/page/how-school-funding-works.

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