Sylvania senior center seeks 0.5‑mill levy; school board endorses request

Sylvania Community Services asked the Sylvania Board of Education on Sept. 22 to endorse a new 0.5‑mill, five‑year levy to replace an expiring 0.42‑mill levy; the board voted to endorse the request. Maria Gagnon, executive director of Sylvania Community Services, presented the request and asked the board for an endorsement ahead of the November ballot.

Gagnon told the board the senior center began in 1974 as the Sylvania Action Interest League (SAIL) and that Sylvania Community Services formed in 1976 as a partnership among the township, city and Sylvania schools. She said the organization moved into its current building on Sylvania Avenue in February 2002 and has relied on recurring local levies since then.

Gagnon said the center’s demand has grown in recent years: in 2025 the center recorded 523 new participants, which she said exceeds the 478 new participants in 2024; an open house on Sept. 6 drew more than 200 visitors and 24 of them signed up for center activities. She told the board the center already serves “over 300 a day,” and that staffing has been reduced from 11 employees to five while demand has increased.

Gagnon described the levy request as a new levy rather than a simple replacement because, she said, current legal limits prevent seeking a straight replacement. She provided an estimated tax comparison: the current 0.42‑mill levy costs $11.60 per $100,000 of home value, while the proposed 0.5‑mill levy would be about $17.50 per $100,000 of home value. She also said the center has not received an increase in local levy funding since 2015 and that other funding sources such as area office on aging grants have declined.

“We respectfully request your endorsement on issue 6,” Gagnon said, asking the board to support the measure and to help publicize the ballot issue.

A board member moved to endorse the levy as described by Gagnon and a second followed. During the roll call vote the board recorded affirmative votes from Adam, Julie, Kim, Greg, Dan and Tammy; the motion carried.

Discussion vs. decision: Gagnon’s presentation was a public request for endorsement and background; the board’s endorsement is a formal action limited to expressing support for the levy (the board did not adopt the levy itself). No additional fiscal commitment from the school district was recorded in the transcript.

Next steps noted in the meeting: Gagnon asked for the board’s endorsement as part of the community outreach effort leading up to the election.

Why it matters: The levy would fund operations at the Sylvania Senior Center, which serves older residents and relies heavily on local support. The district’s endorsement signals local institutional support ahead of the vote.