June 2, 2011
Schools: Levy request coming in fall By JENNIFER NOBLIT ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Dublin City Schools will seek voter approval on an operating levy in the fall, but for now, how much remains undetermined. Board members expressed unanimous support during a May 25 meeting to go Stephen on the ballot for the district’s next oper- Osborne
ating levy in November, keeping to a schedule planned when voters approved the 2008 levy. “We are maintaining the 2008 commitment that we will not be back (on the ballot) until 2011,” treasurer
Stephen Osborne said last week. “There will be no collection (of levy funds) until 2013.” The district passed a 7.9-mill permanent operating levy in 2008, along with a $50-million bond issue, and promised voters the collection of its next levy would not begin until 2013. Osborne said the district has been talking with the community and weighing
its options for a few months. Several elements, such as timing, the economy and the proposed state budget, went into considerations. The district is expecting $13.7 million in cuts coming from the proposed two-year state budget that currently is under consideration in the Senate. The biggest reductions in funding will come from the accelerated phase-out of tangible-personal-property-tax reim-
bursements. The district expected $10 million annually from the reimbursements but will see millions in cuts over the next two years. Dublin City Schools will see an 18-percent cut in foundation funding from the state. Osborne said November ballot issues typically are a bigger draw, which is “faSee SCHOOL BOARD, page A2
City mulling move after losing land appeal
HONORING THOSE WHO SERVED
By JENNIFER NOBLLIT ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Photos by Paul Vernon/ThisWeek
(Above) American Legion Ladies Auxiliary Post 614 members Mary Lee Mercer, right, Florence Schoby and Pam Greenbaum throw two wreaths, commemorating deceased Navy veterans, into the Scioto River as the Dublin Memorial Day parade crosses over the Bridge Street bridge May 30. (Left) Two-yearold John Baruth of Dublin walks along the path to the Grounds of Remembrance in Dublin Veterans Park, 77 N. High St., as the city’s Memorial Day events continued after a ceremony at Dublin Cemetery.
Dublin still is evaluating a decision handed down by the 3rd District Court of Appeals last week. The decision upheld a previous ruling made by Union County Court of Common Pleas Judge Don Fraser, rejecting Dublin’s request to return land it had acquired in 2008. Both courts said Dublin could not return two of three parcels of land because it already had taken possession. “Right now, the city is evaluating the decision to determine the next steps,” public-information officer Sue Burness said. The decision handed down May 23 is part of a longstanding legal battle between Dublin and landowner John Wirchanski. In 2006, Dublin started design and construction plans for improvements at the U.S. Route 33/state Route 161/Post Road interchange but needed three parcels of almost 20 acres of farmland owned by Wirchanski. Dublin took the land through eminent domain and paid Wirchanski $6.88 million. See CITY MULLING, page A4
Teachers to take cut in ’11-12 raises By JENNIFER NOBLIT ThisWeek Community Newspapers
‘EAZ’ district designed to hasten approval By JENNIFER NOBLIT ThisWeek Community Newspapers Dublin intends to lure more business to the Central Ohio Innovation Corridor with a quick and easy zoning process. Dublin City Council members last week approved a resolution to add an economic advancement zone in the COIC district to the 2007 community plan and heard the first read-
ing of amendments to the zoning code for that district. Both resolutions before council last week focused on the EAZ, which “is an area poised for significant change,” the city’s website states. “With approximately 1,100 acres of land located between Avery Road, Houchard Road, Shier Rings Road and state Route 161/Post Road, the EAZ is a key portion of the Central Ohio Innovation Corridor targeted
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for office, research, laboratory and clean manufacturing uses. With a focus on ‘speed to build,’ the area is a focus for quality projects requiring quick administrative approval.” According to planner Carson Combs, the EAZ will “help foster development and redevelopment in the area.” With the EAZ added to Dublin’s 2007 community plan, the next step is amending the zoning code for the
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EAZ’s four innovation districts. Amendments to the code went before council last week for a first reading. The second and final reading is slated for June 13. The EAZ’s four innovation districts are research office, research flex, research assembly and mixedused tech. The districts are a “substantial
A few days after the Dublin school district’s administration announced it would forgo a 1.25percent raise next year, teachers voted on concessions that are expected to save the district about $1.9 million. The Dublin Educators Association voted to give back 66 percent of all scheduled pay increases for the 2011-12 financial year, including both the scheduled 1.25-percent raise and any step increases. “Today, members of the Dublin Educators Association took the budget crisis facing the Dublin City School District into their own hands,” a statement released last week from DEA president Kevin Griffin said. “They voted overwhelmingly to cut their salaries and to give back to the district an estimated $1.9 million in previously negotiated raises.” The DEA represents more than 1,150 teachers, nurses, guidance counselors and speech therapists. Superintendent David Axner announced the de-
See COIC, page A5
emorial Day was not conceived to be the kickoff to summer activities or as a reason to schedule a three-day weekend. It was established to recognize the nation’s military veterans who died while fighting for their country. In keeping with efforts to recognize and honor the sacrifices and service of military veterans, ThisWeek Community Media is launching Honoring Heroes, a continuing series through which we will share the stories and remembrances from and about local men and women who are either on active duty or retired from service. As part of covering their beats, our reporters often hear about and write about veterans leaving for overseas or com-
See TEACHERS TO TAKE, page A4
ing home at the end of a tour of duty. We’ve covered funeral services of those who have sacrificed their lives. We’ve written about soldiers who arrive at their homes or their children’s schools to unexpectedly surprise their delighted families. We know many more stories are out there, waiting to be told. We want to tell them. And we need your help. If you have a story idea about a friend, family member or colleague, let us know by emailing editorial@thisweeknews.com, with the subject line, “Honoring Heroes.” Honoring Heroes isn’t just a ThisWeek Community Media project: It’s about sharing history.
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