MOUNT GILEAD — Jeff Thompson, Mount Gilead Schools superintendent, talked about the need for the district levy to pass at Monday night’s Village Council meeting.
“We have a cost problem not a revenue problem,” Thompson said.
“We have good teachers and this is a good school district.”
Thompson outlined the district’s strengths, but said the issues of class size and loss of advanced placement classes are a concern.
“Our overall grade from the state was 27 100-hundredths of a point from a B. That’s pretty good,” he said.
The levy is a 0.5-percent income tax levy for 5 years.
“Every year but one we’ve had cuts … and not filling positions through attrition. Our cost-per-pupil is among the lowest of surrounding school districts and statewide,” Thompson said.
In other business:
• Dan Rogers, village administrator, gave an update on the waste water treatment plant.
“We are getting budget number from Scata Tech and Polaris Automation to install oxygen sensor in the oxidation ditch and control the motors based on dissolved oxygen in the tank. This will help control power consumption at the plant. We will also be upgrading the panel view programing.”
• Crews repaired a water leak on West Marion Street on Oct. 12. “Not a major leak, just in a bad place,” Rogers reported.
• The Ohio Public Works Commission project has been submitted and the village will be scoring the projects over the next month or so. The water project cost is $756,712 and the village match is 34 percent or $257,282 and the grant would be, if funded, $499,430.
• Rogers said the village has resubmitted its application for CDBG dollars for the storm water project. “We had to reduce the project by removing the replacement of the catch basins until 2020.”
Estimated project cost is $483,000, with the village match at 10 percent.
• Council member Christopher Sherbourne shared a resident’s concern over speeding on Iberia Street.
A “reduced speed ahead” sign was suggested and the village will need to work with Morrow County officials on having it placed just outside the village corporation limits.
