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Bexley voters last approved an operating levy in 2019. That levy was expected to last three years but has lasted longer through effective financial management. Now inflationary expenses are outpacing revenues, so new revenue is needed to avoid reductions.

The new levy will allow Bexley City Schools to provide needed programs and services without operating cuts.

The levy will be phased in. For every $100,000 of appraised home value, the levy will cost:

• $15 per month ($175 annually) in the first year of collections (2025), when the 5-mill increase would go into effect.

• An additional $7 per month (about $88 annually) for each of the 2.5-mill increments in collection years 2026-2029.

At the end of the five-year levy, the increments will add up to 15 mills, or $525 per year for every $100,000 of appraised home value.

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See what the levy will cost you through the Franklin County auditor’s levy estimator.

See a chart showing costs per $100,000 home and for the example of a $500,000 home.

Bexley schools will need to live within their means, which will require the district to scale back.

If Issue 36 fails, the district will start planning budget cuts that would take effect during the 2025-2026 school year. The district currently projects a $5.2 million deficit in the 2024-2025 school year that would grow to $7.6 million in 2025-2026.

The district would need to cut at least $4 million from the budget, equivalent to about 30 positions. At the high end, budget cuts could exceed $7 million, or about 60 positions.

If positions are cut, they could be a combination of teachers and staff.

The levy is designed to increase revenue in line with projected expenses. Compared to a traditional levy, this phased-in, “incremental” approach has a number of benefits:

• The district doesn’t collect revenue until it needs it. The phased-in levy is designed to increase revenue in line with projected expenses. By contrast, traditional levies collect the full millage upfront, so they generate more than is needed in the early years to extend their lifespans in the later years.

• The levy is designed to last at least five years.

• The levy will provide stable, predictable funding for operations, even as inflation increases costs.

Since the district last passed a levy in 2019, revenues are no longer keeping up with expenses. By state law, property taxes do not increase with inflation, nor do they rise when property values increase. That means the district is receiving the same amount of money from the 2019 levy today as it did when it passed. (The 2019 levy was originally 9 mills and is now being collected at 6 mills.)

As a result, the district now has an annual operating shortfall, eating into cash reserves. The current fiscal year is expected to end with a $5.2 million deficit. Without new revenue, that gap will grow in coming years.

The first 5 mills of Issue 36 will generate $4.2 million - not enough to bring the operating budget into balance, but enough to start putting the district on the right path financially. The additional 2.5-mill increments in the following years will make up the rest of the difference and help the district keep pace as expenses increase.

Issue 36 will be the first phased-in levy for Bexley schools, whereas previous levies applied the entire millage up front.

Issue 36 would collect 5 mills in the first year, and add 2.5 mill increments in each of the following four years. By the fifth year, the total would be 15 mills.

Bexley voters have approved more than 15 mills within a 5-year period several times.

• In May 1985, voters passed an 8.5-mill levy and in May 1988, voters passed a 9.3 mill levy. So over that 4-year span, the total approved millage was 17.8 mills.

• In May 1991, voters approved a 9.5 mill levy. With the 1988 & 1991 levies, voters approved 18.8 mills over a three-year span.

• In 1998 and 2000, voters approved 2 levies that totalled 14.1 mills, a total less than Issue 36 but in a shorter time period. In a 7-year span (1994-2000), the community passed 4 levies totaling 20.1 mills.)

The levy will provide stable funding for operations for at least five years.

No. The levy is needed to maintain the district’s current operations.

The Bexley community is currently discussing what kind of improvements are needed for our school buildings. The facilities planning process is still underway.

No. Issue 36 will pay for the day-to-day operations that make Bexley schools great - expenses such as teacher and staff salaries, textbooks and supplies, and the cost of heat and electricity.

If the district decides to complete the purchase of 26+ acres for an outdoor campus on Cassady Avenue, the district will use funds from an existing Permanent Improvement levy (passed in 2016) to pay for the property. The purchase WON'T come from Issue 36 funds.