SIDNEY — As Sidney City School registered voters wait to go to the polls Tuesday to vote on the 3 mill, 5-year permanent improvement levy, the Board of Education met in special session to discuss the November election.

“I apologize for making you come to this meeting on so short notice,” said Treasurer Mike Watkins. “We were so wrapped up in the current levy, we should have had this discussion at our last regular meeting.”

Watkins said because of legislation approved by Ohio legislators, the deadlines for placing an issue on the November ballot is before the results are known from the August special election.

“Mike’s point about this (resolution of necessity) being awkward is very true. This is going to be in the newspaper before the levy is voted on Tuesday,” said Superintendent John Scheu. “People are going to wrongly assume that we’ve thrown in the towel for (Tuesday’s) ballot.”

And that assumption, said Scheu, would be totally incorrect.

“There are so many people who have busted their tail for this levy,” said Scheu, and the work is continuing through Tuesday’s election.

“This is the just the way the law is,” he said.

A resolution of necessity for the November ballot, Watkins said, had to be approved Friday with paperwork delivered to the Shelby County Auditor’s Office before the end of the business day.

Prior to voting on the resolution, each board member present — Bill Ankney, Chip Hix and Mandi Croft — shared their views on the November election.

“The need is not going away,” said Hix. “Hopefully on Tuesday, it passes and we won’t need this (November option). This is a necessity and I say we go with November (if the levy doesn’t pass).”

Croft said she has been weighing the options of placing the levy back on the ballot in November or waiting until 2017 to try again. She sees the pros and cons of both decisions.

“The election in November is going to be crazy,” she said.

“I think we’re in agreement,” said Ankney. “We can’t give it (levy) up. I just know the craziness we had during the primary.”

Scheu said he also has been looking at the November election or waiting until 2017.

“If we wait and put it on in 2017, that means we won’t collect anything until 2018,” said Scheu.

And that concerns him as unexpected repairs can come out of nowhere.

“We had the unexpected roof repairs at Sidney High School,” said Scheu. “It seems things always happen in the middle of winter or after a heavy rainfall. It makes me nervous going another entire year without a PI levy.”

Ken McElroy, chairman of the levy committee, was present at the meeting.

“The need is not going away,” said McElroy. “I’m for doing it (resolution of necessity). We’ve got the manpower and I’ll do what I can for the Nov. 8 election. I’ll probably need a co-chair. I just know we can’t wait.”

Scheu said the results of Tuesday’s election will determine the board’s next step about the PI levy.