Residents raise legal and financial concerns about Kings School District 's Issue 10 at council public comment

During public comment, two residents addressed Kings School District's Issue 10 and school communications.

Colleen Sheeter read an email she said was sent by a student using school resources and school time to encourage participation in a door-to-door voter-outreach event tied to Election Day. She said that "there is a statute against using school property and school resources to campaign for any kind of ballot issue or levy," and asked parents to check student emails. She also said material the district described as a levy was in fact not a levy but an earned-income tax.

Scott Sheeter provided a detailed analysis of Issue 10, describing it as two components: a 1% earned-income tax affecting wages and self-employment income and a 1-mill reduction in real estate tax. He said the earned-income tax applies regardless of age or income level and that taxpayers would need to file an Ohio school district income tax return annually. He criticized district projections and said the district's cash-on-hand is about 65 to 71 days rather than the 128 days the district referenced as a trigger for real estate tax reduction. "Even with the earned income tax revenue, Kings will be losing money in 4 years," he told council, and he urged a performance audit of how the district spends funds before residents approve new operating revenue.

Both speakers urged voters to research the issue before voting and expressed concern about the distributional effects of an earned-income tax on working families, seniors who work and renters who pay embedded real estate taxes through rent.

Council did not take action on the comments; the remarks were made during the public-comment period.