Archbold Schools To Roll Back Millage

The Archbold Area School Board authorized David Deskins, district superintendent, and Christine Ziegler, district treasurer, to start the process to roll back some of the millage the district collects, a move that could save the owner of a $100,000 home about $77 a year.

The action came during the board's Monday night, Aug. 18, meeting.

The board's move asks Nancy Yackee to not collect 2.2 mills of property tax for the repayment of the three bond issues the district has outstanding.

Ziegler said the district is currently collecting 7 mills to retire bonds for the Archbold High School, Archbold Elementary School construction and Archbold Middle School remodeling, and the high school addition. The 2.2-mill rollback would reduce that to 5.8 mills.

Ziegler said in 2011, the school board will pay off the last of the 1986 bonds on the Archbold High School.

Currently, the board is collecting 2 mills to repay high school bonds.

Ziegler said between the revenue the reduced millage will generate and the cash balance available in the bond repayment account, there will be enough money available to service the school district bond debt.

In another move, the board approved the first step in redirecting 1.8 mills of the board's "inside," or unvoted, millage, to create a permanent improvement fund.

She estimated 1.8 mills would raise about $390,000 a year for permanent improvements. Permanent improvements deal with anything that has at least a five-year useful life, from textbooks to school buses to buildings.

David Deskins, district superintendent, has said in the past there are several maintenance issues at the school buildings that could be dealt with through a permanent improvement fund.

The board will hold a public hearing on the reallocation of millage prior to the Monday, Sept. 15 board meeting, then vote on the issue at the meeting.

The September meeting is 7 pm in the Archbold High School media center.- David Pugh