Genoa schools: Emergency levy to be on May ballot

By: 
Larry Limpf

The Genoa school board has approved the required resolutions to place two levies on the May ballot.
By a 4-0 vote last week, board members agreed to seek voter approval of a replacement levy that funds technology and a new levy that would fund operating expenses.
After hearing a report from Bill Nye, district treasurer, in which he presented two scenarios; one for an $850,000 emergency operating levy and one for a $1.3 million emergency operating levy, the board agreed to proceed with placing the $1.3 million issue on the ballot.
If passed by voters, both levies would be in effect for five years.
The proposed operating levy would be on the ballot as an emergency issue that would generate the $1.3 million annually and the millage amount could slightly fluctuate to keep those revenues constant. Nye said the levy would be equivalent to approximately an additional 6 mills.
District voters first approved the technology levy in 2017 as a 0.5-mill, 5-year issue. It generates about $90,000 annually and is used to purchase Chromebooks for students’ use as well as security cameras and other equipment for the district’s facilities.
As a replacement issue, rather than a renewal, the technology levy will be based on the district’s current property valuation rather than the valuation of 2017 when it was originally passed.
Unlike an operating levy, the technology levy can’t be used for salaries and benefits, Nye said.
The issues on the May ballot would go into effect in 2023 if approved.
Voters haven’t been supportive of the district’s recent requests for additional operating funds. In November 2021, they rejected 5.25-mill, 5-year operating levy request that would have generated about $1.04 million annually.
In May 2021, they rejected a 5.9-mill issue and in November 2020 they rejected a 4.9-mill levy request.

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