If approved the two levies combined would cost taxpayers an additional $24.50 per $100,000 of value. The total cost would double to $50 per $100,000 — and reap $20.4 million.
“A straight renewal levy will not meet the growing needs of the population,” Ken Wilson, vice president of program operations told the county commissioners recently. “It would continue to generate $10.9 million a year and that would require a dramatic restructuring of the program and a really big gap in need within the county that we would not be able to serve.”
COA manages the elderly services levy that provides programming so seniors can stay at home as long as possible, the agency served 4,079 clients last year. It pays for services including transportation, meals, mental health, adult day services, housekeeping and repairs.
Wilson told the Journal-News the cost differential between someone being able to stay independent or go into a nursing home is $450 a month versus $8,000. They say the need for elderly supportive services has risen exponentially since the last levy increase two decades ago — the number of residents age 60-plus has grown 79% and keeps multiplying rapidly.
Taxing jurisdictions have until Aug. 6 to get levy requests certified for the November ballot. According to County Auditor Nancy Nix — entities must file resolutions of intent with her office to find out the cost to taxpayers — there are as many as six other money requests that could be on the ballot. They are:
- Fairfield Twp. is considering a number of options including a 2.9-mill, 3.9-mill or 4.9-mill fire levy and possibly a police levy, but the trustees have not voted on it yet.
- Hanover Twp. is looking for a 3.5-mill fire and EMS levy that would increase taxes by $123 per $100,000.
- The Lakota School board was scheduled to vote June 30 on a new 37-year bond issue to fund its Master Facilities Plan. The net increase to taxpayers — an existing bond is scheduled to roll off in 2029 — would be approximately $93 a year per $100,000.
- Milford Twp. has filed its request to ask voters for a 1.85-mill additional EMS levy that would cost an estimated $65 extra per $100,000.
- Morgan Twp. filed a request for a renewal fire levy that won’t add any dollars to residents’ tax bills.
- Ross Twp. wants voters to approve an additional $228 per $100,000 for fire and EMS.
The commissioners must approve countywide levies like this one and Children Services and some others and they have had a policy that they don’t want these entities to seek levies at the same time. They have no say-so on other levy requests.
The current Elderly Services levy expires at the end of this year and “if it didn’t pass the funding would be gone next year and 4,000 older adults would lose services,” according to Wilson.
Commissioner Don Dixon told the Journal-News the competition on the ballot is concerning, because the senior levy provides such critical services.
“It really hits the mark as far as what I believe the community wants to continue to do and that is take care of their seniors,” he said. “It’s a lot of money and I believe there should be some criteria put on all the levies, so they could be staged so they’re not all showing up at once and maybe a limit on how much. But we don’t have any control over the other levies.”
The competition on the ballot isn’t the only problem, the pandemic-induced property value explosion in 2023 meant an average 37% hike in the county. Value hikes don’t always spell tax increases — a multitude of factors come into play — but there were painful increases.
A study by this news outlet showed the largest average value increase after the 2023 value update was 50% in Lemon Twp., where the average tax hike was 32%. The lowest average value increase was 28% in Millville where the average tax hike was 15%.
Wilson told the Journal-News their levy is less than 2% of a person’s tax bill and they have an army of volunteers ready to help them plead their case — the last renewal passed by nearly 78% — to the voters.
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