News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area
Without fear or favor
Since 2004
Loveland, Ohio – A five-year financial forecast was approved by the Loveland Board of Education on May 21, 2019. Here are links where you can access the Five Year Forecast presentation and Five Year Forecast Financial Report:
http://go.boarddocs.com/oh/love/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BC5MFS535BB6
Also, read:
Loveland, Ohio – On Friday, July 26 the Loveland Board of Education voted unanimously to place a combined operating and bond levy on the November 5 ballot. The additional money if approved by voters will fund daily operations of the school district and a building and construction bond to implement the district’s facility master plan.
The Board approved a facility master plan in April.
The District will issue bonds for $118,515,000:
“For the purpose of constructing school facilities and renovating and improving existing school facilities, including safety and security improvements; furnishing and equipping the same; improving the sites thereof; and acquisition of land and interests in land necessary.”
The Bonds will be dated approximately December 1, 2019;and bear interest at the estimated rate of 4.00% per annum; and will be paid over a period not to exceed 37 years.
The cost of the combined 16.78-mill levy translates into $49 monthly per $100,000 of appraised home value. If passed in November, collections will begin in 2020 according to the District.
The Hamilton County Auditor has certified, to the Board, that the dollar amount of revenue that would be generated by the Combined Levy during the first year of collection is $9,096,111, based on the current tax valuation of the School District of $878,003,060.
The last operating levy was for 5.6 mills and it was passed in May of 2014 with a 3,633 – 2489 vote. The District says it was a “four-year commitment” and they have stretched those dollars five and a half years. They say, based on their best projections at this time, they expect the new operating request to last at least three years. The operating levy provides operating money – energy bills, instructional costs including salaries and benefits, etc.
“We have done our due diligence throughout the facility master planning process to investigate every possible avenue for reducing the cost to the taxpayer,” said Kevin Hawley, district treasurer/CFO. “We know for certain that the longer we put off a comprehensive approach to the facilities issues, the more expensive a solution will become.”
The master plan outlines a new campus at Grailville for all Pre-K through fifth-grade students. It includes repairs, renovations, and additions to the Middle School/Intermediate School and High School campuses. The money will also be used for upgraded building security at all schools with secure entrances, camera systems, and electronically-activated locks. It includes upgraded and expanded science and technology laboratories for biotechnology and robotics, among others.
Included in the master plan is a new auditorium/fine arts center at the high school. The current auditorium will be repurposed as academic space. The master plan also includes upgrades and enhancements to athletic facilities at both the Middle and High Schools.
If the levy passes, approximately a year of designing and another year of construction will follow. The plan is to start the new campus construction first so that students (Pre-K-5th grade) can move into the new buildings in the fall of 2022. According to the plan, the additional repairs, renovations, and additions in the district are expected to be completed by 2025/2026.
A new transportation facility, now at the Primary and Elementary Campus, is planned for a later phase.
High School Athletic Field Enhancements
• New turf fields for baseball and softball
● Additional turf multi-purpose field
● New locker room and restroom facility
● New ticket booth and gateway entrance
● New concessions building
● Possible field lighting and new home bleachers
High School Addition
• New 1000-seat theater and support spaces
● New secured main entrances with administration space
● New large group collaboration and presentation space
● Additional classroom spaces
● Outdoor learning areas
High School Renovation
• Existing auditorium transformed into next-generation learning spaces for programs like robotics, computer science, makerspace, and science classes
● Enhanced mental health, counseling, and college and career areas
● Improved student circulation
● Increased student collaboration areas
During the District’s planning process estimates were made to calculate ranges of cost for the Master Plan, however, no up-dated costs have been provided. The broad estimates provided in January are:
• Renovations to the existing Intermediate/Middle School campus, renovations, and additions to the existing High School site, and constructing a new Pre-K through fifth-grade campus at Grailville will cost between 123 and 150 million and the milage range would be 7.37 – 9.02.
(This does not include the price for the Grailville land where the campus would be built. The District has an “Option to Buy” contract with Grailville for the approximately 110-acre site for $70,000 per acre less the value of a conservation easement that may be put on a portion of the land.)
Read: Grailville and School District Option to Purchase Agreement and Appraisal
• New fine arts center at the existing high school would cost between $12 and $16 million. The millage range was estimated to be between .72 and .96.
• Athletic Complex enhancements at the existing Middle and High School would cost between $5 and $7.5 million and a millage range of .3 – .45.
Architects hired by the District developed the budget for the total project ($165 M). The District told Loveland Magazine, “How the money is allocated towards the different parts of the master plan will be determined by various factors, like current market costs of building materials or the community’s priorities within the design process.”
You can read the full Resolution passed by the Board: July 26th resolution-1
Pending Board of Election approval, below is how question will appear on the ballot.
You can read more about the plans and the planning process at the Building Tiger Nation website.
Loveland, Ohio – There will be 3 elected to a 4-year term of Loveland City Council on November 5, and as of Monday evening 3 have submitted sufficient signatures on Nominating petitions to be placed on the ballot. Current Mayor Kathy Bailey, incumbent Kent Blair, and on his second try, Andy Bateman, have all have qualified.
Bateman told Loveland Magazine last week that he had submitted sufficient signatures to the Hamilton County Board of Elections (BOE) and that the signatures have been validated. He ran a distant 5th is his first try to be on City Council in the 2017 election.
All three are guaranteed victory if no one else files to run.
Current Councilwoman Angie Settell’s term ends this December.
Blair is running for the seat he was appointed to when former Mayor Mark Fitzgerald quit office on August 14, 2017 after petitions were circulated putting his recall and his council seat on the ballot. The petition recall effort could have resulted in a head-to-head race, Fitzgerald vs. Neal Oury who circulated the petitions.
Up until August 18, of 2017, Blair was one of nine candidates on the ballot for four City Council seats. Blair removed his name from consideration so he would not take votes away from Rob Weisgerber, Ted Phelps, Neal Oury, or Tim Butler. It was a pre-arranged deal, under a possible scenario if Fitzgerald’s seat was not going to be on the ballot. After a ruling by the City Attorney, Mayor Bailey was allowed to appoint Blair to the seat that was still open in January of 2018.
Weisgerber, Phelps, Oury, and Butler were elected in 2017.
Word on the street is that former Councilwoman Pam Gross has picked up petitions from the BOE, however, that would not necessarily mean that Gross is running. She may or not circulate petitions, or she may have picked up the petitions for someone else who is interested in being on Council. Gross also ran in 2017 to keep her seat however was roundly defeated for re-election, finishing behind Bateman.
No one has yet filed petitions to be a member of the Loveland Board of Education. There are 2 open seats for 4-year terms. Current Board Vice-President Kathy Lorenz is, however, gathering signatures. Word on the street is that current Board President Art Jarvis is also collecting signatures.
The deadline for candidates to file nominating petitions to the BOE, either in the City Council Race or for a School Board seat is Aug 7.
Loveland City Council will ask voters to approve a revised Charter on November 5 and the Loveland Board of Education is expected to place a Bond Issue on the ballot.
![[Loveland Magazine TV] Councilwoman Angie Settell expresses concerns about proposed City Charter](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/maxresdefault-4.jpg)
Loveland, Ohio – While speaking about proposals to change the City Charter, Councilwoman Angie Settell raised concerns about whether the Finance Director should be reporting to the City Manager or City Council.
She said that the Council’s first responsibility is to be the keeper of the taxpayer’s money and that there needed to be checks and balances and a level of protection was being eliminated for no valid reason.
She also raised concerns about proposed changes to the role of the Vice-Mayor in situations where the Mayor is incapable of performing their duties.
The occasion was during a meeting on June 11, when Council was holding a public hearing to receive comments regarding proposed revisions to the Charter of the City.
Councilmembers, Ted Phelps and Tim Butler; and acting Solicitor Matt Fellerhoff responded to Settell’s concerns.
Read the proposed and current charter here: Proposed Loveland Charter
If you see value in having a hometown newspaper with Loveland News in it and are enjoying seeing your neighbors and friends featured in interviews, videos, and stories, please show your appreciation by clicking the button below.
by Dr. Amy Crouse, Loveland City School District Superintendent
The days leading up to end-of-school are always busy and full of excitement, and I’m often asked if I look forward to summer vacation. The truth is, while the work over the summer changes, it doesn’t slow down much; it simply means I’m given a couple months to work with my fellow administrators and staff to make our district even better for our Tigers when they return for the new school year in August.
This summer we will focus on Building Tiger Nation, continuing to refine our options for the most affordable way to fund the facility master plan adopted by the Loveland Board of Education in April. The master plan addresses the needs outlined in the building assessments and includes the enhancements described as priorities by our community through the many meetings and focus groups we’ve held over the past year.
Although we are excited about the plan and moving it forward, it’s critical that we thoroughly vet all funding options as the cost of the master plan will affect our taxpayers. We will use the summer months to be diligent in this work – our commitment is to leave no stone unturned until we create the most advantageous funding structure. To this end, we have added two board meetings in late July so we can still make the ballot filing deadlines set by the Board of Elections for a November vote. The meetings are scheduled for Monday, July 22 at 9:30 a.m. and Friday, July 26 at 9:30 a.m., and will be open to the public.
We will also “deep clean” the buildings after another busy year of activities. As they do every summer, the maintenance staff will be hard at work making repairs and getting our buildings ready for the new school year. While they do an amazing job with the upkeep, our facilities have reached the point where the cost to maintain over the next 10 years will exceed the cost to upgrade and renovate or, in some cases, rebuild. We appreciate the extensive involvement of our community over the past year as we developed a facility master plan that provides solutions for the many issues with our buildings that stand in the way of providing the best possible experience for our Tigers.
On the academic end of our preparations, we will begin to incorporate the themes of the Portrait of a Tiger into our action plans for 2019-20 and beyond. Each school’s improvement plan has been updated and will be implemented to achieve our goals for growth, care and innovation, which are all aligned with the Portrait. Regarding the education at Loveland, all decisions will be focused on how to ensure that every Tiger has the experiences identified as essential by more than 800 students, staff, parents and other community members in the process of creating the Portrait of a Tiger.
Last, but certainly not least, teachers and staff will continue to improve their craft by taking classes, participating and leading book studies, and attending and presenting at professional workshops throughout the summer. Our administrative team will complete a long list of interviews with the intention to hire only the best new teachers and staff to serve our students. We look forward to fresh perspectives that align with our mission and contribute to the work we do every day.
I will greatly miss the students over the summer, but welcome the opportunity to take a step back, reflect and plan to bring them even better experiences in the fall. I wish you all a safe summer, making many happy memories.
In service to our Tigers,
Dr. Amy Crouse, Loveland City School District Superintendent
by John Becker,
On October 26th, Loveland Magazine published, Patricia Lawrence: I’m running because our community deserves effective leadership. My liberal Democrat opponent repeatedly misrepresented, mischaracterized, fabricated, and twisted facts beyond recognition. But hey, that can be expected from a desperate politician.
Rather than picking apart her statements and correcting the record line-by-line, I’m going to reintroduce myself and then compare and contrast our positions and values:
It is my honor and privilege to serve as your State Representative. I’ve been involved with the Clermont County Republican Party since 1993, served southern Ohio as a State Committeeman for the Ohio Republican Party from 2004-2012, and I’ve been a member of the Ohio General Assembly since January 2013.
My MBA, with an emphasis in Taxation, was earned at Xavier University. I also have a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management with a minor in Psychology from Northern Kentucky University. Additionally, I also hold a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) designation, a school district treasurer’s license, and am a graduate of the Union Township Citizens Police Academy.
I am running for re-election to continue being a champion in Columbus for our shared conservative values. My platform is very simple: Pro-Life, Pro-Gun, Limited Government, and Lower Taxes.
With a 30-year career in the private sector, my experience has spanned four major industries including Manufacturing, Health Care Insurance, Banking/Financial, and Charter Education. The companies I’ve worked for include household names like GE, Ford, MetLife, Prudential, Provident Bank, Fifth Third Bank, and Check ‘n Go. I’ve held positions such as supervisor, manager of health care information systems, senior financial analyst, finance officer, assistant vice president, business analyst, and treasurer.
I am running for re-election to continue being a champion in Columbus for our shared conservative values. My platform is very simple: Pro-Life, Pro-Gun, Limited Government, and Lower Taxes.
Endorsements are a key indicator of a candidate’s values and effectiveness. My growing list are as follows:
Party Endorsements
Business Endorsements
Pro-Life and Grass Roots Values Voters Endorsements
Gun Voters
TEA Party, Liberty, and Tax Voters
Military and Veterans Voters
In contrast, my liberal Democrat opponent boasts of her endorsements by a collective of labor unions, gun control, and left-wing, pink hat-wearing, feminist pro-abortion groups, including Planned Parenthood.
If the people of Clermont County want to continue winning with a pro-life, pro-gun, fiscal conservative, they will send me back to Columbus.
If the people of Clermont County are tired of winning, they will vote for my liberal Democrat opponent. If they want to continue winning with a pro-life, pro-gun, fiscal conservative, they will send me back to Columbus.
To learn more about me and my candidacy for state representative, please visit my website at www.BeckerGOP.com. If you’d like to subscribe to my monthly newsletter, The Becker Report, email me at John@BeckerGOP.com.
Election Day is quickly approaching. I’m a conservative Republican who is vetted, tested, and proven. I humbly ask for your vote on November 6, 2018.
Dear Loveland Magazine Readers,
As a Milford resident and voter, I am casting my vote for Cory Combs for Clermont County Auditor.
I’ve watched him work tirelessly to get his campaign up and running. The commitment he’s shown leaves no doubt that he can devote time to the people of Clermont County. Cory has clear goals and plans on how he can improve the office of the Clermont County auditor.
As a single mom, I want to know that the money I’m paying in taxes is going to the correct places and being used in the best interest of the future generation. Conservative fiscal responsibly is what Cory Combs will bring to Clermont County, and I hope you will join me in voting for him this November sixth.
Sincerely,
Robyn Allen
Welcome to All About Kids We invite you to come visit one of our convenient locations, talk to our staff and teachers and learn why.
|
|
The Libertarian Party of Ohio has released their 2018 Candidate Slate for offices in Ohio.
Candidate Slate and Contact info 4 August 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today released the following statement on President Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During that meeting, President Trump refused to publically condemn Moscow’s interference in the 2016 elections – despite the U.S. intelligence community’s resounding agreement that Russia continues to attack America’s critical infrastructure.
“The intelligence experts we trust to keep America safe have said that Russia continues to threaten our democracy and our critical infrastructure, and the President missed an opportunity to do something about it,” Brown said. “The Ukrainian community in Ohio knows all too well the dangers of unchecked Russian aggression. We must demand Russia turn over the spies who hacked our election and show Putin we will not put up with threats to our infrastructure that undercut our democratic institutions.”
Brown joined a group of top Democratic Senators last week urging President Trump to cancel his meeting with Putin if he was not prepared to press the Russian President on his election meddling and push him to hand over the 12 recently indicted Kremlin intelligence officials.
