The Brecksville-Broadview Heights Board of Education took the first step toward putting a renewal levy on the May ballot on Monday. 

According to a press release from the district, the board voted to approve the first of two required resolutions to put the levy on the May 7 ballot during its meeting on Monday. The 7.4-mill levy was first passed in 1988 and brings in about $4.8 million each year. Renewal levies do not raise taxes.

In the current resolution, the levy would appear on the ballot as a continuing levy. That means that it would become permanent if passed by voters. Currently, the levy comes up for renewal every five years. 

District treasurer/chief financial officer Rick Berdine said the levy makes up about 11 percent of the district’s annual operating budget. Berdine said switching to a continuing levy would allow the district to save on election costs.

The levy has already been renewed four times. It expires on Dec. 31, 2013, community relations coordinator Cathy Harbinak said in an email.

The community voted to turn a 6.9-mill renewal levy into a continuing levy in August 2011.