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Perrysburg schools outline May 6 renewal of permanent improvement levy
Summary
Two Perrysburg Exempted Village School representatives presented details about a five-year permanent improvement levy renewal that will appear on the May 6 ballot, saying the levy would fund building maintenance, buses and other capital needs without increasing the current tax rate.
Two Perrysburg Exempted Village School representatives, Tom Hosler and James Mapis, presented information to the community about a five-year permanent improvement (PI) levy renewal set for the May 6 ballot, saying the levy is not a new tax and would fund building and capital maintenance.
The levy would continue at the current 1.17 mills, which presenters said generates about $1.7 million per year; presenters said that rate translates to about $3.41 per month (roughly $41 per year) for a homeowner per $100,000 of assessed value. Tom Hosler said the PI levy “is not a new tax,” and James Mapis added, “This is a renewal.” The presenters said PI funds cannot be used for salaries or daily operations and are restricted to items such as buses, roofs, windows, door hardware, life-safety systems and other permanent improvements.
School officials provided examples of planned projects across the district and explained how the levy would be spent if renewed. Presenters said the average age of buildings used daily by students is 45 years; Fort Meigs Elementary is 35 years old and the high school building is 24 years old. Planned projects highlighted included rekeying classroom doors and installing indicators that show whether doors are locked, window replacement, roofing projects, carpet replacement, ADA accessibility work at older buildings and upgrades to life-safety sprinkler systems. For example, presenters noted a $450,000 roof section project in the Toth building in fiscal 2028 and a $600,000 roofing need at the junior high; they said flat roofs at the high school total about $350,000 when grouped.
Mapis said rekeying is a recurring district priority to improve lockdown procedures and key control, describing upgrades at the high school that allow teachers to see and operate door locks from inside classrooms and a centralized key policy for staff. The district also listed districtwide projects such as LED lighting upgrades (which presenters said reduced energy bills and are being paid off over time), school bus purchases, and parking lot resurfacing, which are bid districtwide to reduce costs.
Presenters said the PI levy historically has been renewed by voters every five years since it was first approved in 1980 and that the levy still qualifies for homestead and rollback tax credits, which they said the state eliminated for some other levies. Hosler warned that if voters reject the renewal and the district later seeks a levy again, homeowners who benefit from homestead and rollback credits may not receive the same reimbursements. He also noted broader voter trends, saying about half of roughly 140 school levies on the November 2024 Ohio ballot failed and that of nine similar PI renewals that month four passed and five failed.
Officials emphasized that the PI levy does not fully fund all scheduled maintenance, and when projects exceed PI revenue the district uses general fund dollars. Hosler said the district is already planning $6 million in operational reductions for next year and that losing the PI revenue would force more difficult choices about programming and staffing.
For more information, presenters pointed to materials on the district website and a QR code on the presentation and provided a contact number for the schools.
