Brunswick Schools working to put renewal levy on March ballot

BRUNSWICK — Brunswick Schools started the process of putting the renewal of an emergency levy on the upcoming March ballot during a board of education meeting on Tuesday. The levy raises $3.2 million annually, and voters last approved its renewal on March 15, 2016. Brunswick Schools Treasurer Mark Pepera said the 2-mill levy needs to be renewed in 2024 to not miss a year of collecting funding. If renewed, the levy funds will go toward the everyday operations of the school district, and it would have a duration of 10 years this time. He said an emergency levy is similar to a traditional operating levy. "The big nuance with the emergency levy is that when the levy is put on the ballot, the community knows exactly what the levy is raising," Pepera said. "For example, if we put an emergency levy on the ballot, we can tell our community it's going to raise $2 million, for example, a year. If you put out a traditional levy, you can't really tell the community what it's going to raise. It's an estimate." The district traditionally uses emergency levies rather than operating levies, he said. Brunswick Schools currently has five emergency levies in effect. "This is gleaning history from the past here in Brunswick," Pepera said. "Our residents like to know what am I paying for (and) how much money am I actually raising this year for the school district?" The district has the following emergency levies in place: $3.2 million up for renewal in 2024 Approximately $4.7 million up for renewal in 2028 About $2 million up for renewal in 2029 $5.78 million up for renewal in 2031 Approximately $7.53 million up for renewal in 2039 "We've tried to space them out as much as we can for our community because we understand ballot fatigue, and it seems like we're always at the ballot," Pepera said. "The thing I stress about these levies is these are taxes that our community is already supporting for our schools. This is a renewal levy. This won't be an increase in taxes to our taxpayer." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.