Vantage approves TIF, CRA agreements

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Vantage Board of Education approved a resolution to place a renewal tax levy on the November ballot, gave the go-ahead for two Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreements and took a number of personnel actions during its July meeting held Thursday.

Following the report of Vantage Treasurer Laura Peters, the board unanimously approved a resolution to proceed with levying a renewal tax issue in excess of the 10-mill limitation.

“Just a reminder to the public that it is just a renewal, so there’s no new monies being asked out of any of the taxpayers,” Peters noted.

The board also approved TIF agreements for the construction of hog barns in Jackson and York townships, and also approved the transfer of $85,000 from the General Fund to the Adult Education Fund to maintain the Adult Education Full Service Center, and the transfer of  $225,040 from the General Fund to the Maintenance Fund to meet Vantage’s obligation to set aside maintenance dollars for its Ohio School Facilities Commission project.

The board also approved renewing its property, fleet and liability insurance with the Ohio Schools Risk Sharing Authority for an annual premium of $53,177.

Grants accepted include one for $890 from the Patricia M. Lichtensteiger Memorial Fund, administered by the Van Wert County Foundation, for Vantage’s literacy program; and a grant of $47,985 from the Foundation’s Rothacker-Lampe Bequest to purchase equipment for Vantage’s electrical programs.

The board also approved three Community Reinvestment Area applications from Ron and Deborah Dull, 309 S. Cherry St.; Thomas and Carol Sanderson, 263 Prairie Lane; and Wayne and Marilyn Arlene Dull (and their revocable living trust), 247 Prairie Lane, all in Van Wert.

Superintendent Staci Kaufman also talked briefly about a personality assessment conducted on Vantage administrators.

The Vantage board also took a number of personnel actions. Those included issuing two-year contracts to superintendent’s secretary Miriam Owens and custodian Thomas Bowersox, and one-year contracts to custodian Steven Burrow and instructional aide Brenda Wurst.

Three Vantage employees, Marcia Osenga, Kari Casto and Mike Miller, were given $250 stipends for serving on the LPDC Committee, while the following people were hired as Adult Education instructors on an as-needed, as-scheduled basis: Doris Jones, AE Transitions coordinator/counselor; Annette Klinger, instructor/secretary; and Michael Miller, Debbie Venderley and Jourdan Tomlinson, AE instructors.

The board also approved a resignation settlement with Nate Snyder, ag satellite instructor.

In other action, the board:

• Accepted cafeteria bids from Aunt Millie’s Bakeries for bread and Arps Dairy for milk for the 2015-16 school year.
• Accepted a donation of a Ford Taurus SE worth approximately $2,550 from Christine Sheehan of Van Wert for the Automotive Technology program.
• Approved the purchase of Precision Machine and Industrial Mechanics program equipment for instructional use.
• Approved an amended Vantage lead teacher job description.
• Approved a computer services agreement with the Northwest Ohio Area Computer Services Cooperative for Fiscal Year 2016 services.
• Authorized participation in a Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio Inc. retrospective rating agreement or participation and consent program.
• Went into executive session to discuss personnel matters.

The next meeting of the Vantage Board of Education will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 6, in the district boardroom.