DaytonDailyNews.com

PLEASANT HILL — A group of Newton school district residents filed petitions asking voters to repeal a 1 percent school income tax and reduce a permanent improvement levy from 2 mills to 0.25 mills.

Spokesmen for The Fair Tax Alliance said Tuesday, Aug. 19, they didn't want to discuss the petitions in detail until the Miami County Board of Elections certifies the issues for the November ballot. The elections board will meet Thursday, Aug. 21, which also is the filing deadline for the Nov. 4 ballot.

Elections officials were checking with legal advisers regarding the petitions, elections director Steve Quillen said.

Both petitions have enough signatures of registered voters to place the requests on the ballot, he said. The petitions were submitted Friday, Aug. 15, and signature checks completed Monday. Petitioners needed 133 signatures and had more than 200 valid signatures on each petition, Quillen said.

The Fair Tax Alliance said it is concerned about the level of spending by the school district and decided to challenge the income tax and the improvement levy.

The income tax approved in 1992 brings in around $700,000 a year, while the levy was passed last November at the same time a bond issue for a new school was approved. The levy raises about $116,000 a year.

Superintendent Pat McBride said the district took extra steps including 11 public meetings to discuss options and funding before placing the bond issue to pay the local share of a new school. He said those who filed the petitions are "disgruntled" by the vote on the new school and expressed an intent to "cripple" the district financially.

"I believe we had a valid election and the majority of the people spoke," McBride said. "We hope common sense will prevail."