Cuyahoga Falls board reviews options to close budget gap, staff recommends 5.5-mill levy

Cuyahoga Falls City School District officials told the board on Wednesday that the district will need new revenue to avoid multi-year deficits and offered several options, including a 5.5-mill property levy and various earned-income tax scenarios.

The finance director presented forecasts showing that one mill currently generates about $1,280,000 and that a 5.5-mill property levy would keep the district’s projected ending cash balance out of deficit through fiscal year 2032. The presentation compared lower and higher millage packages and modeled an earned-income tax in 0.25% increments, noting that an earned-income tax can grow with wages but typically takes about a year and a half to fully ramp up in receipts.

“We should ask for what we need,” said Mister Gomez, addressing the board during the discussion and urging transparency with the community about the size and purpose of any levy request. Board members debated timing, messaging and who different options would affect. Finance staff noted the district’s emergency levy is roughly $3.7 million per year and that ongoing uncertainties—reappraisals, health-insurance assumptions and staffing—make long-term projection difficult.

Board members discussed alternatives. Some favored asking a higher millage once to buy multiple years of stability rather than returning to voters repeatedly; others expressed concern about asking too much of taxpayers. The board also discussed an earned-income tax as a longer-term strategy, highlighting that an earned-income levy can exclude pensions and taxable Social Security if the district chooses an earned-income base rather than the broader, traditional base.

The board asked staff to prepare formal levy resolutions and supporting materials. Superintendent Selickow and the finance director said they can present a statement of facts and outreach materials at a June work session to outline the district’s needs and potential program cuts if a levy fails.

Next steps: the board directed staff to develop draft ballot language and schedule the necessary certifications; any final decision will require at least four board votes to place a levy on the ballot.