ThisWeek Pickerington 5/12 by The Columbus Dispatch/Dispatch Magazines

May 12, 2011

City plan seeks to hold off tax levy By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers A new financial plan adopted by Pickerington officials seeks to keep the city from asking voters to increase taxes for up to five years. In 2008, a levy that would have raised income taxes from 1 percent to 2 percent failed by a nearly 2-1 margin. Since then, Pickerington officials repeatedly have said a new revenue source — most likely from a tax increase — was imperative to maintain city services.

Now those same officials say they’ve devised a financial plan that should keep them off the ballot for the next two years, if not longer. In the meantime, they plan to hire two new police officers for the first time in nine years and annually spend $350,000 for street maintenance. “Looking at the balances that are going to be on hand, I don’t see the need for a tax increase now,” said Brian Sauer, Pickerington City Council president. City officials believe they can hold off a tax levy after a collective decision

to spend down the city’s cash reserves, or “rainy day” fund. According to city finance director Chris Schornack, that fund is projected to be approximately $2.9 million by year’s end. It’s approximately 38 percent of the city’s projected $7.7 million operating budget for 2011. Under the new plan, which was unanimously approved by council during its May 4 finance committee meeting, the city plans to spend all but about $1.07 million of its reserves by the end of 2015. “In year 2015, we’ll end with a $1 mil-

lion (reserve) balance, which is just under 15 percent of our general fund,” Schornack said. City officials also are banking on their ability to spur new revenues through economic development in the next five years. The news is a sharp departure from the message council, Mayor Mitch O’Brien, city manager Bill Vance and Schornack have sent in recent years. In 2010, Governing Dynamic LLC, a Columbus-based public policy consultant firm, received $33,500 to lead a city retreat and help shape the city’s com-

munications policies and strategies. The result was the formation of the city’s “Top 10 Goals,” announced last October. At the top of the list was defining an “alternative source of sustainable funding,” and council appeared set to move forward with an income tax levy for the May 2011 ballot. However, eight days after the announcement of those goals, council put the brakes on the plan to ask voters for a tax increase in favor of council member See CITY PLAN, page A7

Pickerington schools

TOUCHING UP FOR SPRING

Board OKs redistricting for two local subdivisions By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers

ing or distributing those substances, or those who use, possess or are found to be under the influence of them on school property or at any district extracurricular events will face suspension or expulsion. “We felt our policy was stringent enough, but it wasn’t as specific as it could be,” board president Lisa Reade said. “We don’t believe our (student) handbook was unclear. However, if

The Pickerington school board on May 9 approved a plan to change elementary and middle school attendance for students living in two local subdivisions. A total of 31 Pickerington Local School District students living in the Turnberry Green and Farmcreek subdivisions will attend new schools in 2011-12. On Monday, the board unanimously approved moving 21 students living in those neighborhoods from Pickerington Elementary to Violet Elementary for the 2011-12 school year. Additionally, 10 students living in the Turnberry Green and Farmcreek subdivisions who traditionally would have gone to Diley Middle School next year will attend Toll Gate Middle School. The redistricting moves, district officials said, will reduce classroom overcrowding. Although the students’ elementary and middle schools will change, they will remain on course to attend Lakeview Junior High and Pickerington High School North. “These students always have been on the Lakeview-North tract,” assistant superintendent Jim Sotlar said. “They will continue on that.” The moves will reduce Pickerington Elementary’s enrollment, which Sotlar said currently has the school near capacity, to 526 students. Violet Elementary’s enrollment will increase to 190. “(Pickerington Elementary) is one of our largest schools, capacity-wise,” Sotlar said. “With renovations, Violet is getting two new classrooms and Pickerington is not.” The new classrooms at Violet are part of renovations to be launched this summer for that school, as well as at Fairfield and Pickerington elementary schools. Those upgrades, as well as ones nearly completed

See BANNED SUBSTANCES, page A3

See BOARD, page A6

By Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek

Tim Wilson of Refreshing Touch Painting works on the Zeller-Smith covered bridge at Sycamore Park on May 9. The bridge was built in 1905 and was on Busey Road across Sycamore Creek. The bridge was moved to Sycamore Park in 1986.

Pickerington schools

Brand names added to banned substances By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers The Pickerington school board on May 9 took steps to broaden its ban against “look-alike” drugs at local schools. In recent years, “herbal incense” products have been developed and marketed as synthetic, legal alternatives to marijuana and other illegal drugs. The Pickerington Local School District’s “Al-

cohol Use/Student Drug Abuse” policy already sought to ban such items by prohibiting lookalike drugs from school grounds. Students who fail to comply could be suspended or expelled. On May 9, the board went a step further by enhancing its ban to specifically include K2, Spice, Posh, “legal weed” or “any other marijuana substitute; look-alike drugs; or any substance that is represented to be, to contain, to mimic or used to produce the same or similar effects as illegal drugs.” Students found to be soliciting, selling, buy-

New survey of Pickerington residents yields similar results By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Community Newspapers Two years after polling Pickerington residents’ views on taxes and city services, a new survey has yielded similar results. In spring 2009, Pickerington contracted with Columbus-based public policy consulting firm Governing Dynamic LLC for a $12,500 survey seeking

residents’ opinions of city services, as well as gauging their willingness to pay higher taxes to support those services. This spring, the city again contracted with Governing Dynamic for a new survey, this time costing $12,000, aimed at exposing residents’views on city services, taxes and what they might be willing to pay more for, or do without. Although new questions were posed, the results of the latest survey were close-

ly aligned with the previous poll. It found the majority of residents still feel the Pickerington Police Department is doing an above-average job and traffic congestion continues to be a key concern. Additionally, most residents still said they cannot afford higher taxes, but a growing number indicated they would support an income tax increase in order to maintain critical services, improve

road maintenance or increase police staffing. “I think we learned the citizens certainly understand our financial situation better than they did, and they understand we can’t do everything we would like given our financial situation,” city council member Jeff Fix said. “I think we did learn some new things and some of our thoughts were confirmed.” This year’s survey posed 34 questions