4 Butler County communities ask voters to OK fire levies

Last week the Journal-News detailed Fairfield's 2.5-mill fire and EMS levy, but voters in four other Butler County communities are also being asked to approve similar measures.

The issues are in Ross Twp., Milford Twp., New Miami and Hanover Twp., and some officials say they’re going to the polls because they’re still feeling the effects of the 2011 state budget cuts.

Thomas Willsey, president of the Ohio Township Association, said a levy “is just the cost of doing business now,” even though he dislikes putting levies on the ballot.

“Levies are pretty much pay to play,” said Willsey, who’s also a Ross Twp. trustee. “Every township suffered, some more than others, but townships by and large took a pretty good hit.”

While he said he understands Ohio Gov. John Kasich “walked into a bad situation … that wasn’t his fault,” he said it would be nice to repay some of the local governments that took a big hit to budgets. He said Ross Twp. took roughly a 59 percent cut to its local government fund.

Tax levies should be considered by the people at the local level, said Greg Lawson, senior policy analyst with the Buckeye Institute, an organization that supports minimal taxation.

“We think that’s OK that the taxpayers are in charge of making that decision at the local level,” said Lawson, who’s not surprised there’s more local-level ballot issues on the November ballot and supports more transparency at all levels of government.

“We like to see (citizens) get more empowered at the local level so they can make those individual decisions,” he said.

Ross Twp. Administrator Robert Bass said the township's renewal request of its current 3-mill 5-year fire levy will not raise any taxes for property owners. The owner of a $100,000 home currently pays $85.01 a year, which would continue, and this levy, Bass said, would allow the township "to keep up with the services the folks of the township are currently getting."

Milford Twp. is also asking for a renewal levy.

Township Fiscal Officer Mollie Hansel said the community is "still feeling the brunt" of the 2011 cuts, and the levy will help maintain the same level of fire service to the township.

Those 2011 cuts also impacted Milford Twp.’s general fund by nearly 60 percent, she said.

Milford Twp. is seeking a 2-mill fire and EMS levy renewal. The owner of a $100,000 home would keep paying $59.27 a year.

The fire department is not paid out of the general fund, and the goal, Hansel said, is “trying to keep it so that none of our departments are being paid out of the general fund.”

Other communities seeking levies in the Nov. 8 election:

Hanover Twp.: The township is asking voters to approve two levies. The first is a 1.75-mill replacement and a 1.75-mill additional fire and EMS levy. This levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home a total of $122.50 a year. The second one is for 1.75 mills and would pay for current township expenses. The owner of a $100,000 home would add $61.25 to property tax bills.

“The board of trustees reluctantly placed these issues on the ballot but there is no where else to turn,” said Bruce Henry, Hanover Twp. administrator. “If the levies fail, there will be drastic cuts in services across the board.”

He said among the reasons trustees placed the issues on the ballot include:

“The township cannot stay even,” he said. “Either we go backward or we move forward — we cannot stay the same,” Henry said.

New Miami: The village is seeking a renewal of its 2-mill fire levy. The owner of a $100,000 home would pay $61.25 a year, which is the same amount property owners currently pay.

WHEN CAN YOU VOTE EARLY?

Early voting in Ohio has begun, and voters can cast ballots at the Butler County Board of Elections at 1802 Princeton Road in Hamilton, or request until Nov. 5 a vote-by-mail ballot from the elections office by downloading an application at ButlerCountyElections.org. Here are early voting hours this election: