December 19, 2024
The Licking County Budget Commission approved a request for Heath City Schools to “call” the bonds for the construction of Heath High School (HHS) in 2000, meaning the district will pay off the outstanding balance and all debt will be satisfied. Beyond the bond payoff, this also means the district will have zero debt moving forward. In addition, because the bond that paid for HHS is no longer needed, Heath taxpayers will see a 5.3-mill – or $185.50 per $100,000 of property market value – decrease on next year’s (2025) property tax bills.
“The Heath City School District prides itself on being a great steward of the tax money allocated to us. The payoff is happening earlier than we planned, but with an increase in collections we are able to save taxpayers on future interest payments, and with a decrease in their property tax bill in 2025. It is a win-win…the Board/District is completely debt free, and the Heath taxpayers are saving money,” said Superintendent Trevor Thomas, Ed.D.
Separate but related to this announcement, the district has formed a Facilities Planning Task Force to establish priorities, evaluate options, and provide valuable input on our district’s facilities. The task force is focusing on the condition of district buildings, projected growth, curriculum needs, and financial considerations. It is an open, transparent process with no predetermined outcomes, with the goal of coming to a consensus and presenting outcomes to the Board of Education. The district has partnered with architecture firm Garmann Miller to guide the process and task force and help develop a community-centered plan that reflects the district’s goals for the future. The task force began with two, 90-minute meetings on October 16 and November 6. It is now in the process of touring buildings in other districts for information and idea gathering and will reconvene additional meetings after the first of the year.
The district also purchased a 4.35-acre parcel of property at 405 South 30th Street in Heath on July 12, 2024, for $395,000.
“Heath City Schools is expecting our district to grow in the near future, and we have some facility needs to accommodate that growth. While our last attempt at a levy renewal and bond issue to begin building for our future was not successful, we do believe that it is necessary to continue planning, hence the task force,” said Dr. Thomas. “Part of this continued planning is a property purchase we made over the summer to help connect Stevenson Elementary and 30th Street. The idea was that it could help improve traffic flow for a larger footprint on that property in the future.”