Zoarville, Ohio - The utility tax revenue generated by the Rover Pipeline will help shape the future for the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District. 

Treasurer Mark Phillips says a tax valuation was recently assigned for the now active pipeline, which is expected to generate approximately $950,000 a year in new utility tax revenue for the district.

Phillips says the money the will be allocated into a permanent improvement fund and used to help pay for a comprehensive facilities improvement project.

“The hope is to use the money to target permanent improvements, hopefully to upgrade the facilities,” he says. 

Phillips says the district hopes to partner with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, or OFCC, to construct new buildings as part of a multi-step process, with the ultimate goals of servicing the entire district from the Tusky Valley Road Campus. 

Phillips says the district plans to apply for OFCC grant funding that would cover 39 percent of the cost of the project. 

In addition to the Rover pipeline revenue,  Phillips says a small amount of millage would be also be shifted from the general fund into the permanent improvement fund to cover the 61 percent local share for the project. 

“The district has 5 mills of inside millage dedicated to the general fund currently. We’re looking at moving some of that millage from the general fund to permanent improvement,” he explains.

Phillips notes that the new tax revenue generated by the pipeline will drive down the millage rate on fixed-sum levies, which will result in a tax decrease for district residents while allowing the district to capture a portion of the rate reduction in the permanent improvement fund.

“The tax rates on some levies would be reduced because the Rover pipeline would pay a portion of that tax. We’re capturing a portion of that mileage drop on those fixed-sum levies that’s less than the total drop,” he says. “It allows us to move a certain amount out but there’s still going to be a savings that's passed on to the taxpayers.”

In an emailed statement to families and the Tuscarawas Valley school community, Superintendent Mark Murphy stated that he is excited for the future of the school district.

“We’re even excited now to enter into the design phase of building and renovating to create state-of-the-art facilities for our students, all on the Tusky Valley Road Campus,” he wrote.

Murphy added that the Tuscarawas Valley Board of Education is wholeheartedly committed to doing what is best for students, staff, and the community. He thanked families and the residents for their ongoing support and trust as the board works to make the district the best it can be. 

A public hearing regarding the shift of inside milage from the general fund into the permanent improvement fund is scheduled for  Monday, October 8, at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Tuscarawas Valley High School. Phillips and  Tuscarawas County Auditor Larry Lindberg will be on hand to answer questions from residents, and residents can also submit their questions online at www.tvtrojans.org/PublicHearingQA.aspx to have them answered during the meeting. 

Residents with questions may also contact Treasurer Mark Phillips at 330-859-8809 or Superintendent Mark Murphy at 330-859-8807.