May 12, 2011
Deficits have district eyeing cuts Five-year forecast projects $20.6 million deficit in fiscal year 2012 By JENNIFER NESBITT ThisWeek Community Newspapers With a $20.6 million deficit looming in fiscal year 2013, the Westerville school board has asked the administration to bring forth potential spending cuts at its May 23 meeting. The board heard a review of its revised five-year financial forecast, which it is required by state law to approve by
the end of May, from outgoing treasurer Scott Gooding at its May 9 work session. The five-year forecast shows that the district will have a $14-million surplus at the end of the current fiscal year on June 30. In fiscal year 2012, the district’s spending will outpace its revenues by $10.6 million, but with the cash it has in reserves, the district will be end that year
with $3.4 million on hand. To deal with those deficits, the district likely will have to look to cut its personnel costs, which account for 82 percent of its budget, said superintendent Dan Good. “We’re looking at a pretty significant deficit to cover,” Good said. “Without a reduction in personnel expenditures, we’re not sure that we would be able to do that.”
Good said the board would have to make decision on any cuts to the 2012 budget quickly, as preparations already are under way for the next school year. “In order to plan for courses in classes and staffing for next year and so students can make adjustments to schedule, we want to do that as quickly as possible,” Good said. Gooding said while the deficits are bleak, they are in line with what the dis-
WYBSL marks 60 years By JENNIFER NESBITT ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Baseball had a lot of big events in 1951. It was Willie Mays’rookie year. Mickey Mantle started his career with the Yankees. The first Topps baseball cards were released. And in Westerville, four baseball teams of 60 boys were formed as the Junior Boys Baseball League, which eventually became the Westerville Youth Baseball and Softball League. “It was a good year for baseball,” said league vice president Bob Crain. This year, the league is celebrating its 60-year history with a lineup of events and with the installation of baseball- and softball-related sculptures at three Westerville parks. “We decided last year to commemorate that, sort of as a reason to highlight the rich tradition of Westerville in youth sports and to put a spotlight on youth sports,” Crain said. The league put together a committee of community members and city representatives to decide how to mark the 60th anniversary of the league, which has grown to include 2,700 players, ages 4 to 18, and about 600 adult volunteers who serve as coaches, scorekeepers, team parents and league managers. By Eric George/ThisWeek “We’re sort of lucky that we’ve had 60 years of continuous serv- Jacob Elam, 10, runs to third base during a Red Hat League scrimmage in Westerville on May 7 at Huber ice, so we’ve had tens of thou- Village Park. Programs range from tee-ball to high school-age baseball for boys and girls and from tee-ball
Steve Huzicko has been appointed to serve as interim treasurer for the Westerville City School District. The school board approved a contract with Huzicko on May 9. According to the contract, Huzicko will be paid $70 per hour for his services, with no benefits.
Gooding, who has served as the district’s treasurer since June 2004, announced his resignation earlier this month to take a position with the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio. His last day with the district will be May 16. Huzicko, who is retired, worked as treasurer for 14 years for the Worthington City School District and also served as treasurer for the Elyr-
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ia City School District, said board member Kevin Hoffman. Huzicko also has worked with the Ohio School Board Association since his retirement. “Steve comes to us with a wealth of experience,” Hoffman said. Hoffman said he expects that the district will employ Huzicko for a period of 90 to 120 days while the district works to secure a new treas-
Council considers water-rate increase By JENNIFER NESBITT ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Westerville’s water division has asked city council to raise water rates to help deal with increases in operating costs and with infrastructure improvements. Westerville City Council heard the first reading of the legislation May 3 that would raise water rates in July and again in January. If approved, the average residential water customer would see his or her monthly bill increase from the current $14.84 to $15.54 in July, a 4.7-percent increase, and to $16.59 in January, a 6.8-percent increase, said water utility manager Dick Lorenz. The minimum monthly charge for water usage, which affects 15 percent of Westerville’s water customers, would go from the current $4.65 to $4.80 in July and to $4.90 in January, Lorenz said. “Even with those two proposed increases, we remain extremely competitive with the surrounding markets,” Lorenz said. “Our water rates will remain the lowest in the area.” See WATER RATES, page A2
City grants tax breaks to OhioHealth By JENNIFER NESBITT ThisWeek Community Newspapers
urer. Also at its May 9 meeting, the board approved a contract with the Ohio School Board Association for treasurer-search support services. The district will pay the association $6,400 to help in the search. Through the contract, the association’s services director, Kathy See TREASURER, page A7
See OHIOHEALTH, page A2
Board names Huzicko interim treasurer ThisWeek Community Newspapers
See FORECAST, page A2
Westerville will waive 20 percent of the income taxes for five years and 100 percent of the property taxes for 12 years on a soon-to-be-constructed OhioHealth expansion. Westerville City Council approved the tax deals May 3 for the 46,000-square-foot facility that will be added to the OhioHealth campus at 300 Polaris Parkway. The city approved the expansion plans for the facility, which include a first-floor emergency department and second-story medical offices, in January. The expansion is expected to add 119 jobs and $11.7 million in payroll, said Jason Bechtold, Westerville economic development administrator. The 2010 payroll for the site was $14.3 million, Bechtold said. The property-tax abatement will become effective once the payroll for the site exceeds $20 million, he
to high school-age softball for girls. The Westerville Youth Baseball and Softball League is celebrating its
See WYBSL, page A7 60th anniversary.
By JENNIFER NESBITT
trict has long projected. During its levy campaign in 2009, the district told voters that approving the levy would keep the district solvent through 2012. The five-year forecast approved in the fall showed similar, though not as steep, deficits. “We were projecting a deficit in 2013 then; we’re projecting a deficit in 2013
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