WINTERSVILLE — Voters in the Indian Creek Local School District are being asked to consider the renewal of a 7.9-mill continuing levy for current operating expenses when they cast their ballots in the Nov. 4 election.

Indian Creek Superintendent T.C. Chappelear said passage of the levy, which was introduced in 1995, won’t result in an increase in taxes for residents.

He added should the levy fail, it won’t result in homeowners paying less in property taxes because school districts are required by the state to collect a minimum of 20 mills on the assessed value of Class I property.

Chappelear confirmed that rejection by the voters would result in public utilities and businesses, which fall into other property tax classes, not contributing tax dollars through the levy.

If approved, the five-year levy is slated to generate about $3.28 million, or $629,795 per year, for operational expenses including staffing, utilities, buses, curriculum and programming.

“We are very happy and proud of what we’re able to offer our students, and it would be very hard to do that without the levy,” Chappelear said.

The superintendent was asked to comment on a proposed elimination of Ohio’s property tax. A grassroots organization is gathering signatures in an attempt to get a constitutional amendment that would eliminate property taxes on the November 2026 ballot.

Chappelear said he’s not seen an alternative to the tax which, through levies decided by voters, has supported fire departments and other emergency services and road maintenance by township governments as well as supplementing state funding for local school districts.

“There’s no plan about how they’re going to replace funding for schools, emergency services and other local expenses,” he said.

Some proponents of the elimination of the property tax have suggested replacing it with a statewide levy for education and an increase to the state’s sales tax.

The Ohio Legislature is considering property tax reforms that could limit local levies.