Section 5748.09. Authority for school district to place property and income tax levies on ballot as combined issue

(A) The board of education of a city, local, or exempted village school district, at any time by a vote of two-thirds of all its members, may declare by resolution that it may be necessary for the school district to do all of the following:

(1) Raise a specified amount of money for school district purposes by levying an annual tax on school district income;

(2) Levy an additional property tax in excess of the ten-mill limitation for the purpose of providing for the necessary requirements of the district, stating in the resolution the amount of money to be raised each year for such purpose;

(3) Submit the question of the school district income tax and property tax to the electors of the district at a special election.

The resolution shall specify whether the income that is to be subject to the tax is taxable income of individuals and estates as defined in divisions (E)(1)(a) and (2) of section 5748.01 of the Revised Code or taxable income of individuals as defined in division (E)(1)(b) of that section.

On adoption of the resolution, the board shall certify a copy of it to the tax commissioner and the county auditor not later than one hundred days prior to the date of the special election at which the board intends to propose the income tax and property tax. Not later than ten days after receipt of the resolution, the tax commissioner, in the same manner as required by division (A) of section 5748.02 of the Revised Code, shall estimate the rates designated in divisions (A)(1) and (2) of that section and certify them to the board. Not later than ten days after receipt of the resolution, the county auditor, in the same manner as required by section 5705.195 of the Revised Code, shall make the calculation specified in that section and certify it to the board.

(B) On receipt of the tax commissioner's and county auditor's certifications prepared under division (A) of this section, the board of education of the city, local, or exempted village school district, by a vote of two-thirds of all its members, may adopt a resolution declaring that the amount of taxes that can be raised by all tax levies the district is authorized to impose, when combined with state and federal revenues, will be insufficient to provide an adequate amount for the present and future requirements of the school district, and that it is therefore necessary to levy, for a specified number of years or for a continuing period of time, an annual tax for school district purposes on school district income, and to levy, for a specified number of years not exceeding ten or for a continuing period of time, an additional property tax in excess of the ten-mill limitation for the purpose of providing for the necessary requirements of the district, and declaring that the question of the school district income tax and property tax shall be submitted to the electors of the school district at a special election, which shall not be earlier than ninety days after certification of the resolution to the board of elections, and the date of which shall be consistent with section 3501.01 of the Revised Code. The resolution shall specify all of the following:

(1) The purpose for which the school district income tax is to be imposed and the rate of the tax, which shall be the rate set forth in the tax commissioner's certification rounded to the nearest one-fourth of one per cent;

(2) Whether the income that is to be subject to the tax is taxable income of individuals and estates as defined in divisions (E)(1)(a) and (2) of section 5748.01 of the Revised Code or taxable income of individuals as defined in division (E)(1)(b) of that section. The specification shall be the same as the specification in the resolution adopted and certified under division (A) of this section.

(3) The number of years the school district income tax will be levied, or that it will be levied for a continuing period of time;

(4) The date on which the school district income tax shall take effect, which shall be the first day of January of any year following the year in which the question is submitted;

(5) The amount of money it is necessary to raise for the purpose of providing for the necessary requirements of the district for each year the property tax is to be imposed;

(6) The number of years the property tax will be levied, or that it will be levied for a continuing period of time;

(7) The tax list upon which the property tax shall be first levied, which may be the current year's tax list;

(8) The amount of the average tax levy, expressed in dollars and cents for each one hundred dollars of valuation as well as in mills for each one dollar of valuation, estimated by the county auditor under division (A) of this section.

(C) A resolution adopted under division (B) of this section shall go into immediate effect upon its passage, and no publication of the resolution shall be necessary other than that provided for in the notice of election. Immediately after its adoption and at least ninety days prior to the election at which the question will appear on the ballot, the board of education shall certify a copy of the resolution, along with copies of the county auditor's certification and the resolution under division (A) of this section, to the board of elections of the proper county. The board of education shall make the arrangements for the submission of the question to the electors of the school district, and the election shall be conducted, canvassed, and certified in the same manner as regular elections in the district for the election of county officers.

The resolution shall be put before the electors as one ballot question, with a majority vote indicating approval of the school district income tax and the property tax. The board of elections shall publish the notice of the election in a newspaper of general circulation in the school district once a week for two consecutive weeks, or as provided in section 7.16 of the Revised Code, prior to the election. If the board of elections operates and maintains a web site, also shall post notice of the election on its web site for thirty days prior to the election. The notice of election shall state all of the following:

(1) The questions to be submitted to the electors as a single ballot question;

(2) The rate of the school district income tax;

(3) The number of years the school district income tax will be levied or that it will be levied for a continuing period of time;

(4) The annual proceeds of the proposed property tax levy for the purpose of providing for the necessary requirements of the district;

(5) The number of years during which the property tax levy shall be levied, or that it shall be levied for a continuing period of time;

(6) The estimated average additional tax rate of the property tax, expressed in dollars and cents for each one hundred dollars of valuation as well as in mills for each one dollar of valuation, outside the limitation imposed by Section 2 of Article XII, Ohio Constitution, as certified by the county auditor;

(7) The time and place of the special election.

(D) The form of the ballot on a question submitted to the electors under this section shall be as follows:

"Shall the ..... school district be authorized to do both of the following:

(1) Impose an annual income tax of ...... (state the proposed rate of tax) on the school district income of individuals and of estates, for ........ (state the number of years the tax would be levied, or that it would be levied for a continuing period of time), beginning ........ (state the date the tax would first take effect), for the purpose of ........ (state the purpose of the tax)?

(2) Impose a property tax levy outside of the ten-mill limitation for the purpose of providing for the necessary requirements of the district in the sum of .................. (here insert annual amount the levy is to produce), estimated by the county auditor to average ................ (here insert number of mills) mills for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to ................ (here insert rate expressed in dollars and cents) for each one hundred dollars of valuation, for .............. (state the number of years the tax is to be imposed or that it will be imposed for a continuing period of time), commencing in .......... (first year the tax is to be levied), first due in calendar year ............ (first calendar year in which the tax shall be due)?

FOR THE INCOME TAX AND PROPERTY TAX
AGAINST THE INCOME TAX AND PROPERTY TAX	"

If the question submitted to electors proposes a school district income tax only on the taxable income of individuals as defined in division (E)(1)(b) of section 5748.01 of the Revised Code, the form of the ballot shall be modified by stating that the tax is to be levied on the "earned income of individuals residing in the school district" in lieu of the "school district income of individuals and of estates."

(E) The board of elections promptly shall certify the results of the election to the tax commissioner and the county auditor of the county in which the school district is located. If a majority of the electors voting on the question vote in favor of it:

(1) The income tax and the applicable provisions of Chapter 5747. of the Revised Code shall take effect on the date specified in the resolution.

(2) The board of education of the school district may make the additional property tax levy necessary to raise the amount specified on the ballot for the purpose of providing for the necessary requirements of the district. The property tax levy shall be included in the next tax budget that is certified to the county budget commission.

(F)

(1) After approval of a question under this section, the board of education may anticipate a fraction of the proceeds of the school district income tax in accordance with section 5748.05 of the Revised Code. Any anticipation notes under this division shall be issued as provided in section 133.24 of the Revised Code, shall have principal payments during each year after the year of their issuance over a period not to exceed five years, and may have a principal payment in the year of their issuance.

(2) After the approval of a question under this section and prior to the time when the first tax collection from the property tax levy can be made, the board of education may anticipate a fraction of the proceeds of the levy and issue anticipation notes in an amount not exceeding the total estimated proceeds of the levy to be collected during the first year of the levy. Any anticipation notes under this division shall be issued as provided in section 133.24 of the Revised Code, shall have principal payments during each year after the year of their issuance over a period not to exceed five years, and may have a principal payment in the year of their issuance.

(G)

(1) The question of repeal of a school district income tax levied for more than five years may be initiated and submitted in accordance with section 5748.04 of the Revised Code.

(2) A property tax levy for a continuing period of time may be reduced in the manner provided under section 5705.261 of the Revised Code.

(H) No board of education shall submit a question under this section to the electors of the school district more than twice in any calendar year. If a board submits the question twice in any calendar year, one of the elections on the question shall be held on the date of the general election.

(I) If the electors of the school district approve a question under this section, and if the last calendar year the school district income tax is in effect and the last calendar year of collection of the property tax are the same, the board of education of the school district may propose to submit under this section the combined question of a school district income tax to take effect upon the expiration of the existing income tax and a property tax to be first collected in the calendar year after the calendar year of last collection of the existing property tax, and specify in the resolutions adopted under this section that the proposed taxes would renew the existing taxes. The form of the ballot on a question submitted to the electors under division (I) of this section shall be as follows:

"Shall the ........ school district be authorized to do both of the following:

(1) Impose an annual income tax of ....... (state the proposed rate of tax) on the school district income of individuals and of estates to renew an income tax expiring at the end of ....... (state the last year the existing income tax may be levied) for ....... (state the number of years the tax would be levied, or that it would be levied for a continuing period of time), beginning ....... (state the date the tax would first take effect), for the purpose of ....... (state the purpose of the tax)?

(2) Impose a property tax levy renewing an existing levy outside of the ten-mill limitation for the purpose of providing for the necessary requirements of the district in the sum of ................... (here insert annual amount the levy is to produce), estimated by the county auditor to average ................. (here insert number of mills) mills for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to ................. (here insert rate expressed in dollars and cents) for each one hundred dollars of valuation, for ............. (state the number of years the tax is to be imposed or that it will be imposed for a continuing period of time), commencing in ........... (first year the tax is to be levied), first due in calendar year ............ (first calendar year in which the tax shall be due)?

FOR THE INCOME TAX AND PROPERTY TAX
AGAINST THE INCOME TAX AND PROPERTY TAX	"

If the question submitted to electors proposes a school district income tax only on the taxable income of individuals as defined in division (E)(1)(b) of section 5748.01 of the Revised Code, the form of the ballot shall be modified by stating that the tax is to be levied on the "earned income of individuals residing in the school district" in lieu of the "school district income of individuals and of estates."

The question of a renewal levy under this division shall not be placed on the ballot unless the question is submitted on a date on which a special election may be held under section 3501.01 of the Revised Code, except for the first Tuesday after the first Monday in February and August, during the last year the property tax levy to be renewed may be extended on the real and public utility property tax list and duplicate, or at any election held in the ensuing year.

(J) If the electors of the school district approve a question under this section, the board of education of the school district may propose to renew either or both of the existing taxes as individual ballot questions in accordance with section 5748.02 of the Revised Code for the school district income tax, or section 5705.194 of the Revised Code for the property tax.

Added by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.