February 3, 2011
Levy request delayed until August Clearer state budget picture by then might change millage amount By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers The Pickerington Local School District will ask for a levy in 2011, but it won’t be in May. The board took initial steps Jan. 28 to place a 9.5-mill continuing levy before voters in May. At a special meeting Monday, Jan. 31, members voted 3-2 to proceed with a May 3 levy that, if passed, would have generated approximately $10.14-million
in new annual revenue for the district. However, “no” votes by board President Lisa Reade and member Cathy Olshefski prevented the levy plan from receiving the “supermajority” of support needed to be on the May ballot. In opposing the May levy, Reade repeated her belief that the board can place a levy on the August ballot that would be more suitable to the district’s needs because members will have a better indication of how much funding will be granted to the schools in the state budg-
et. She also is hopeful the district can reduce some expenses through contract negotiations with teachers this spring. Olshefski’s vote on Jan. 31 was a slight departure from her actions on Jan. 28. At that meeting, she supported moving forwarded with a May levy. But she also opposed the board’s decision to seek 9.5 mills, which she said was too small. “I have spent the last three days pretty much not being able to escape this decision in my mind,” Olshefski said on
Monday. “There is no right answer, which makes this even harder. “I’m not comfortable with the millage. … We don’t know what’s going on with the state. We don’t know the conversations that will take place with the union.” Now, Aug. 2 appears to be the likely target for a levy, after each board member on Monday maintained the district must secure more revenue in order to balance its budget for the 2011-12 school year.
The filing deadline for an August levy is May 4. Board members also could opt to wait until November for the levy, but each also has said they plan to use November as a last-ditch effort to pass a levy, should earlier attempts this year fail. “We all know there has to be additional money,” board member Lee Gray said. “It’s just a matter of when we go on and what is the best approach.” See LEVY REQUEST, page A4
Citizens’ committee to evaluate the city’s finances
WINDING UP FOR A THROW
By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Stung by Pickerington City Council’s decision to deny a $1,271 request to fund carriage rides, carriage ride luminaries and children’s crafts at the OPVBA’s annual Victorian Holiday, OPVBA treasurer Deblin Jennings compared city officials to “the Grinch who stole Christmas.” According to Melillo and Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce president Helen Mayle, downtown stakeholders — including the city — have begun mending fences.
Pickerington officials plan to form a “blue-ribbon” citizens’ committee to evaluate the city’s finances. As soon as this May, Pickerington Mayor Mitch O’Brien, city manager Bill Vance and Pickerington City Council President pro tempore Brian Sauer expect to seat a 10- to 20-person advisory panel of residents, business officials and Violet Township representatives. The group is being dubbed a blue-ribbon committee because it would serve as an independent and exclusive commission of nonpartisan statesmen and experts formed to investigate a governmental issue, O’Brien said. In this case, the city is seeking input related to its finances and management of money. It would be the first panel of its kind in Pickerington. City officials also hope the panel will weigh in on the issue of taxes. If it determines additional revenues are needed to maintain or enhance city services and personnel, as O’Brien, Vance and council members have concluded, it would give the city another campaign tool should officials decide to seek an income tax, police levy or other new revenue source in November or sometime in 2012. “I think that seating a panel like this offers us the opportunity to tap into skill sets not available on staff or the elected body,” O’Brien said. In planning to form the committee, Pickerington is taking a cue from the city of Gahanna, which last year established a Citizen Financial Advisory Committee to review Gahanna’s 2011 general fund, planned revenue and expenses and five-year forecast to assist the city in developing recommendations for the future.
See CITY TO BUY FLOWERS, page A2
See FINANCES, page A3
By Andrea Kjerrumgaard/ThisWeek
Austin Rieff, 14, winds up for a throw in a game of dodgeball during Ridgeview Junior High School’s quarterly “teen night” Jan. 28.
City to buy flowers for historic district By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers Taking a page from a national florist, Pickerington is going to “say it with flowers” this spring. City officials plan to spend approximately $10,000 to purchase flower baskets and banners and to refit Olde Pickerington Village lampposts so the new decorations can be hung on them. It might not be the biggest public revitalization project to come down the pike in recent
years, but according to some downtown players, the additions are the latest example of the city fostering relationships with those with historic district interests. “The city has taken a renewed interest in this downtown area,” said Sandy Melillo, owner of The Hair Boutique, 37 E. Columbus St., and president of the Olde Pickerington Village Business Association. “That’s just going to enhance our community.” Last April, some OPVBA members held a vastly different opinion.
EMA, National Weather Service to train local ‘spotters’ By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers The Fairfield County Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service are looking for local volunteers to help spread alerts about impending, dangerous weather conditions. It’s still winter, but emergency management officials already are seeking to line up personnel critical to keeping res-
idents safe from tornadoes and other dangerous storms and weather patterns that often crop up in Ohio in spring and summer. The Fairfield County EMA this week announced it once again will offer a free class to anyone who wants to serve as an official “weather spotter” for the EMA and NWS. This year, the class will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. March 28 at the Liberty
Center, 951 Liberty Center Drive, Lancaster. Although it’s more than a month away, Fairfield County EMA director John Kochis said he hopes people of all ages will begin registering for the class so the county can have as many spotters as possible this year. “Now is a good time to sign up,” he said. “Our resources are always limited, so any citizens that can help in the
response to serious weather, it’s appreciated.” While many rely on the NWS, the county EMA and local meteorologists to warn them when potentially dangerous storms and other weather conditions approach, they might not realize those weather informants and emergency response agencies count on local residents to keep them abreast of the latest weather patterns moving into their areas.
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Those who sign up will take part in the March 28 training workshop hosted by NWS meteorologists. They will learn how to safely observe and identify key features of storms, how to detect visual clues that may precede tornados and how to make accurate and timely reports to the NWS and county EMA so wider alerts can go out to the public.
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