After a community forum held on October 29th, the Elida School Board of Education voted on whether they will move forward with a renewal tax levy. On Tuesday evening, the Elida School Board unanimously voted to move forward with the renewal levy for $2.7 million. Tuesday night's decision comes after the unofficial 5-year forecast presented at the community forum showing expenses outpacing revenues by an increasingly growing margin. Following Tuesday night's board meeting, we spoke with Elida Local Schools Superintendent, Joel Mengerink, about the next steps and the impact of Tuesday night's decision.

Many Elida residents voiced strong concerns about the financial future of Elida Local Schools at Tuesday night's special board of education meeting. Currently, the Elida School Board is weighing the idea of putting out a $2.7 million renewal levy as the current levy expires at the end of 2025. In the unofficial 5-year forecast presented by Elida Treasurer Larry Kaiser, the district's expenses are forecasted to outpace revenues by an increasingly growing margin. On Tuesday evening, many Elida residents publicly addressed the board with their concerns if a renewal levy is not pursued.

Elida mayor Darryl Nichols is clarifying the language of the village's income tax levy ahead of election day. The levy will ask Elida residents to vote on a .35% increase in their income tax from the current .75% to the proposed 1.1%. Mayor Nichols says Eida has not had an income tax increase since 2006 and adds the proposed increase will be used for police protection and street maintenance.

St. Marys City Council approved the language of a renewal income tax levy residents will vote on next year. Currently, St. Marys residents pay an income tax of 1.5%. With this renewal income tax levy, St. Marys voters will decide if they will renew the 1.5% income tax they already pay. It is important to note that this levy will not increase taxes, and it is a renewal levy that happens every 10 years after the original income tax levy passed in 1985. After council, we spoke with the Mayor of St. Marys, Joe Hurlburt Jr., on how the collected tax is used.

The Bath Township Fire Department has a new Platoon Chief along with several new firefighters joining the department. On Monday evening inside the Bath Township Fire Station, Fire Chief Joe Kitchen swore in Brock Yingling as the department's new Platoon Chief. Yingling has been a firefighter and a paramedic with Bath Township since 2000. He also serves as the Public Safety Director at Apollo Career Center, and Yingling will be able to work with his students as their Platoon Chief.

The Village of Elida is looking for what's next, this after the proposed levy to fund its police department went down to defeat on the ballot on November 7th. On top of boosting its law enforcement, police officials say additional funds freed up by the levy could have gone towards improving the roads.

The Bath Township Fire Chief Joe Kitchen and the Bath Township Board of Trustees discussed the fire department's financial crisis at Tuesday night's board meeting.