Huron Board of Education approves agreement regarding Sawmill TIF, tax levy measure
HURON – At Tuesday’s Huron Board of Education meeting, the board approved an agreement that will give the district a service payment from Cedar Fair, in lieu of a taxes on Sawmill Creek Resort improvements. They also approved a tax levy measure for this November.
The agreement regarding the service payment will have the district waive all new taxes on Sawmill Creek Resort. Those new taxes would have come from improvements on the property. In exchange for the tax abatement, the district will receive 25% of a service payment. The service payment will be either $400,000 or $500,000. That number will depend on the final agreement between the City of Huron and Cedar Fair, the owner of Sawmill Creek Resort.
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Board Vice President Jody Mast said she was “uncomfortable approving this without knowing exactly what the numbers are.” Mast said that she would like to table the vote until the board had more information. Mast also said that she is mindset of “you never accept your first deal.”
Board President Paul Ward responded by comparing the deal to the television show Let’s Make a Deal. Ward said, “What they presented us was the week in Hawaii. What might be behind the curtain is either the new Buick or the goat. We don’t know.”
The motion regarding the service payment ended up being approved 3-1; with Jones, Slocum, and Ward voting yes, and Mast voting no. Board Member Donna Green obtained, stating that she has “a lot of Cedar Fair stock.”
The tax levy measure was approved unanimously. The levy that will be on the ballot this fall will be the same as the one that failed in May. This levy, like the failed one, will be based on property tax. The board unanimously voted down a motion for an income tax levy.
A video of the meeting can be watched below.