Clark County voters to decide several tax issues on November ballot


Continuing Coverage

The Springfield News-Sun will bring you continuing coverage of all local election ballot issues in the upcoming editions of the newspaper, including stories on the new property taxes requested by German Twp., Pike Twp and Enon in coming weeks.

By The Numbers

9 — Full- or part-time Springfield Twp. road department employees laid off in the last decade due to budget cuts

$62 — the cost of a ton of asphalt this year

77 — Miles of road Springfield Twp. maintains

Clark County voters will see more than 20 tax issues on the Nov. 8 ballot from school districts, townships, villages and health district.

Many are renewals, but several townships are seeking new property taxes, including Springfield Twp. for road repairs.

“One hundred percent of the road levy will go toward infrastructure,” Springfield Twp. Trustee Jim Scoby said. “A group of citizens do not want to see our infrastructure fall apart like the rest of America’s sort of has. We want to address the issues early.”

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The five-year, 1.5-mill levy would increase property taxes $52.50 for a resident who owns a $100,000 home. Scoby said the levy comes on the heels of state funding cuts. The road department has cut three full-time positions and six part-time workers in the past 10 years because of the cuts, he said.

The cost to maintain roads also has gone up over the past 15 years. Springfield Twp. maintains 77 miles of roads.

“We have been chip sealing, which is not the very best but it helps, and that’s $25,000 a mile,” Scoby said. “In 2003, asphalt was $26.90 and in 2016 asphalt is $62 a ton.”

The crews work hard to cut cost whenever they can, Springfield Twp. Road Supervisor Alex Turner said, but it’s getting tougher with rising prices.

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“If you rated our infrastructure we are probably at about 60 percent,” Turner said. “With the aging infrastructure comes more upkeep costs, more potholes, more culverts are collapsing before getting fixed before they collapse.”

The current levy was put in place in 1946, Turner said.

Springfield Twp. has had to fix three culverts that collapsed or nearly collapsed in the past year, Scoby said. He said that can be a dangerous situation for motorists and it’s important the township has enough resources to fix those issues quickly.

Mad River Twp., excluding the village of Enon, will also vote on whether to approve an increase to maintain its local deputy. It’s seeking to replace an existing 0.5-mill property and add 0.3 mills, for a total of 0.8 mills for five years.

“We have a dedicated sheriff’s deputy who provides police protection for our township,” Mad River Twp. Trustee Kathy Estep said in a statement. “Costs for his contract have increased about 2 percent a year, and will continue to do so.

“This will cost most Mad River Twp. homeowners less than $10 dollars a year in additional taxes,” Estep said. “We looked at projected costs in the next five years, and in order to cover contract costs, vehicles maintenance and operating expenses, it was necessary to ask for a slight increase.”

Levy renewals on the ballot are:

  • Southeastern Local School District — Renewing an existing tax to avoid an operating deficit; 4.02 mills for five years.
  • Harmony Township — Renewing an existing levy to provide ambulance service and emergency medical services; 1 mill for five years.
  • Tecumseh Local School District — Renewing an existing tax for emergency requirements of the school district; 2.54 mill for five years.
  • German Twp. — Renewing an existing tax for operating and maintaining the Fire and EMS Department; 2.54 mills for five years
  • Green Twp. — Renewing an existing tax for the purpose of providing ambulance apparatus; 1.5 mills for five years.
  • Clark County Combined Health District (excluding New Carlisle) — Renewing a tax for the purpose of carrying out the general health district program of Clark County; 1 mill for five years.
  • City of New Carlisle — Renewing a tax for the purpose of supplementing the general fund for the provision of health services; 1 mill for six years
  • Pleasant Twp. — Renewing a tax for the purpose of providing and maintaining fire and emergency services offered by the fire department; 1.8 mills for five years.
  • Mad River Twp. — Renewing a tax for the purpose of providing and maintaining ambulance and emergency medical services; 1 mill for five years.
  • Mad River Twp. — Renewing a tax for the purpose of providing and maintaining fire apparatus, appliance and buildings; 0.8 mills for five years.

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