Ritzville board sets M&O levy request

RITZVILLE - Ritzville School District patrons will be asked to approve or reject a two-year maintenance and operations levy in voting Feb. 11. If the levy is approved, the district would receive $983,000 per year.

If approved, property owners would pay $3.14 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The levy, if it's approved, would replace the one passed by voters in 2012, which generated $933,000 per year.

The levy pays for school equipment, maintenance and activities that aren't or can't be funded by the state, things like extracurricular activities, Lind-Ritzville Superintendent Rob Roettger said. In Lind and Ritzville, levy money increasingly is used to plug holes occurring because of budget cuts at the state level, Roettger said.

The Ritzville School Board approved its levy request for Ritzville only. The Lind School Board will consider a separate levy request, and board members will consider whether or not to submit a bond request to district patrons at the same time.

Lind and Ritzville work as a cooperative school district, but are separate districts with separate school boards.

Roettger said the Lind Elementary School and the Lind-Ritzville Middle School both need a new roof. "This year we've had garbage cans catching water (from leaks) at the elementary," he said. Both buildings also could use new heating and cooling systems, he said. "It's one of those things. It's just time," he said.

Depending on the bond amount, district officials may include money to replace carpets at the middle school, Roettger said.

District officials are working on an energy efficiency grant to replace windows in both buildings, he said, and some money may be included for the district's portion of the project depending on the outcome of the grant application.

Roettger said the Lind board will have a work session Dec. 16 to look at the options for the bond and levy, and will decide on the proposal, or proposals, to be submitted by the Dec. 23 board meeting.