Thursday, November 04, 1999
Suburban voters warm up to levies
Some pass after repeat attempts
BY SAUNDRA AMRHEIN and DAVID ECK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Residents in the suburban counties have agreed to pay the piper for all the growth coming their way by passing a slew of levies for school and fire services.
The reason, according to planners and a public-policy expert, is likely better awareness of the need for more money to meet problems caused by growth.
Some of the levies succeeded Tuesday after failing three times at the polls in the past.
In Butler County, voters approved levies for Children Services, fire levies for Union and Liberty townships, and levies for Middletown/Monroe and New Miami schools. A measure for Talawanda schools did not pass.
Warren County voters ap proved a levy for Springboro schools after it failed in three previous attempts. A levy for police services for Clearcreek Township passed, as did one for the Warren County Combined Health District.
“Any time you're asking citizens for more money from taxes, it's always tough,” said Mike Mays, assistant fire chief for Butler County's Union Township.
“But we did not dream that it would pass with the margin it did.”
Tuesday's 4.5-mill levy — which will raise $5.7 million a year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $137 a year — passed by 4,556 to 3,176. A levy in 1993 passed
by only 252 votes.
The difference, Assistant Chief Mays said, was the fire department's campaign to get the word out for the need for more money to pay for more part-time firefighters, ambulance equipment, medical services and the remodeling of a fire station.
Beginning in July, fire officials spoke to civic and neighborhood groups and passed around 10,000 brochures to homeowners.
For Al Tuchfarber, director of the Institute for Policy Research at University of Cincinnati with 25 years of experience observing levy issues, sometimes persistence is the answer.
“Sometimes you have to run these levies two or three or four times before an adequate case is made to voters,” he said.
“There's a lot of state money now available if the local community puts up matching money, and that's a big incentive for some voters.
“And sometimes you just get a situation where the need is so obvious, the situation gets so bad that voters say, "Gee, this is necessary.'”
Though voters shot down Springboro school operating levies three times before, Lynn Marcellino was confident a fourth levy would be approved in Tuesday's voting.
“I knew it would,” the Springboro resident said. “The community was working together to get it passed. It just had to be done this time.”
The levy will allow the district to open a new school that was finished a year ago.
“I voted in favor of it, not real enthusiastically,” said Don Gebhart. “I feel it's very foolish to have that building sitting down there and not being in use. I believe better planning would have, perhaps, been able to solve the issue ahead of time.”
Mr. Gebhart said he never votes against school issues, but has skipped ones that he doesn't agree with.
On the other side of the issue, Lloyd Price of Springboro said it's difficult for those on a fixed income to absorb more taxes. He also thinks it's unfair that issues can be placed on the ballot over and over.
“It was on twice, and they put it through again and it passed,” said Mr. Price, standing outside the Springboro IGA. “They just put it right back on and right back on. I didn't support it.”
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