By MARGIE TRAX PAGE

Staff Writer

mtrax@starbeacon.com

GENEVA - - All the Geneva Area City School District needs are some bricks and mortar, a majority of voters and $53 million to build a sparkling new school system.

Technically, the hard part is completed, as the bricks and mortar await purchase and the $53 million sits in a Columbus bank account waiting for the majority of voters to pass a 23-year 0.5-mill maintenance levy, which will release funds to the district.

The levy, known as Issue 7, will be on the ballot Nov. 7 and has the unconditional support of the Geneva City Council.

"This levy is important to the school district and important to the city. This council gives it our complete and total support," Council President Denny Brown said.

School administrator Brett Horvath said the levy, which will cost property owners $15 per year per $100,000 of property valuation, is required by the Ohio School Facilities Commission before it will release $53 million in state funds to the school district. The money is the state's share of the school district's $65 million new-school construction program and already has been allocated to the district. The levy proceeds can be used only for the maintenance of the new schools and cannot be used to pay employees' salaries, benefits or expenses.

"This money is like us proving to the state that we can maintain the buildings it helps us build," Horvath said.

Without the levy, the schools would have to pass a 12 or 13-mill levy to equal the state money already promised to the district, Horvath said.

The district would like to move into the second phase of construction and build three new elementary schools and a new middle school to complement the new Geneva High School, Horvath said. The state's 73 percent share of the construction program would pay for the cost of phase two. The board of education hopes to begin the second phase of construction in December, if the levy passes. If it fails, the district can go back to the voters twice before the $53 million is disbursed to other school districts, Horvath said.

Council voted Monday to draft a proclamation supporting the levy.

Star Beacon Print Edition: 10/12/2006

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