Superintendent Travis Bellville told the Fairfield Union Local School District board on Oct. 20 that House Bill 186, currently moving through the state legislature, could cost the district an estimated $2.7 million if enacted with a retroactive provision that reaches back to February 2023.

“To make the legislation retroactive, I think, is incredibly punitive to schools,” Bellville said, describing simulations he had reviewed and the potential operational effects on budgets, staffing and services. He said every district in Fairfield County sits on the 20-mill floor and would be affected.

Bellville said early simulations show the bill could require the district to return tax revenue from past years, a change he compared to taking back prior salary increases: districts may have planned and spent those funds. “We planned—we spent that money in many, many cases,” he said. The superintendent said he has been in contact with legislators and that district representatives planned to travel to Columbus for meetings to urge reconsideration of retroactivity.

Why it matters
If implemented as described in Bellville’s remarks, a retroactive adjustment to property-tax distributions could force the district to revise budgets midyear and could affect staffing decisions, programs and capital plans that were funded using those receipts. Bellville named sample local impacts for other districts—Lancaster City Schools and Bloom Carroll—to illustrate scale, saying Lancaster could face more than $7 million in reductions.

Details and next steps
Bellville said earlier simulations estimate the Fairfield Union hit at about $2,700,000 and that the bill’s vote could happen within days. He said district leaders favor targeted property-tax relief (for seniors, veterans and low-income households) rather than large retroactive clawbacks. Bellville said he would keep the board updated and planned to be in Columbus for legislative meetings later in the week.

No formal board action was recorded on the bill during the meeting. Bellville asked the board to view the potential impact in context and to be prepared for additional budget discussions if the legislation changes.

Provenance
The bill and the estimate were discussed by Superintendent Bellville during the superintendent’s report; board members asked clarifying questions but did not take a formal vote.