Wednesday, March 1, 2000
Hamilton Co. safety, road issues
BY WALT SCHAEFER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Safety services and road issues pepper the March 7 primary ballot in Hamilton County this year.
Voters face tax increase requests for safety needs in Anderson Township and Golf Manor and replacement levies in Sycamore Township and Newtown.
Road issues are on the ballot in Mount Healthy and Colerain Township, where a citizens' referendum also has placed a zoning issue before voters to stop development of a Bigg's store on Colerain Avenue just south of the Ronald Reagan Highway.
And, forgetfulness has led to a 1-mill life squad levy in the tiny village of North Bend in the southwest corner of the county. The clerk-treasurer there inadvertently missed the deadline at the Hamilton County Board of Elections to place a levy renewal on last November's ballot, said Vice Mayor Bill Kane.
So, the issue appears as a tax increase next month while, in reality, it renews a levy that expired Dec. 31 to fund the services for five years under a contract with the Miami Township Fire Department, he said.
Manpower and equipment needs are reasons for many safety issues.
“Our fire department has been struggling for at least 10 years — as have many others locally and nationally — to maintain the services we provide with volunteers” because of increases in state-required training, said Golf Manor Fire Chief Greg Ballman. “In 1990, we had 27 volunteer firefighters/paramedics or emergency medical technicians and now we have 17.”
A 6-mill increase for Golf Manor fire and emergency services would generate about $280,000, $150,000 of which would be used to hire about seven full-time firefighters/paramedics to complement the volunteer contingent, the chief said. It is a continuing levy.
The remaining money would be used for a 10-year capital improvement plan to replace aging equipment — including the immediate purchase of a new pumper to replace a 1969 truck. The levy would cost the owner of an $80,000 home about $140 a year, which would be reduced by about $21 dollars a year when an exiting bond levy expires in Dec. 2001, the chief said.
In Anderson Township, voters also will decide a fire issue — a 4.86 mill increase that would generate about $4.5 million a year. Township Administrator Henry Dolive said about 85 percent of the money would be used to increase manpower in the fire department from 12 to 24 full-time firefighter/paramedics.
“For a township (of 45,000 people) we have been understaffed for years, and that is making itself known on fire runs with not enough personnel on duty or an inability to respond fast enough,” he said.
The rest of the funding would be used to boost law enforcement services with the addition of a school resource officer, crime prevention officer and K-9 unit, he said.
Replacement levies for fire and life squad services appear in Sycamore Township and Newtown with another replacement levy for police in Sycamore. Replacement levies differ from renewals in that they tax residents based on the most recent property evaluations while renewals revert to the evaluation when the original levy was approved. In Sycamore Township, owners of a $100,000 home would pay $118.26 a year if both levies succeed. In Newtown, taxes on a $100,000 home would total $138 a year if the issue passes.
Mount Healthy residents are asked to approve a street levy to raise about $102,000 a year — money that could help leverage state funds worth four or five times as much. Over the five-year life of the levy about $500,000 generated could be parlayed into $3 million to $4 million in state funding, officials said.
The levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $52 a year. Tim McInerney, the city's safety-service director, said there are about 18 miles of streets in town and the city had been spending about $40,000 to $50,000 a year on road maintenance out of its general fund, and with money generated by the gasoline tax and license plate fee.
“Our infrastructure needs to be completely redone and this is a good way to get it started,” said Don Crank, president of council.
In Colerain Township, a 1.5 mill continuing levy would generate about $1.52 million a year for road improvement projects and supplement the public works budget. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $43.78 a year and, as in Mount Healthy, much of the money could be parlayed into matching government funds to “double or even quadruple” the annual $1.52 million, Administrator David Foglesong said.
Any tax increases approved by voters would not appear on tax bills until next year, officials said.
Other ballot issues:
• The Colerain Township referendum seeks to halt redevelopment of the Crossings of Colerain strip shopping center to accommodate a 68,000-square-foot Biggs store unanimously approved by the zoning board. Referendum supporters cited concerns about increased traffic, Mr. Foglesong said.
• In Lincoln Heights, voters are being asked to renew a 10-mill levy for five years that generates about $218,000 annually to the general operating fund, said Carnell Mathews, village finance director. “That's a large chunk of our money when you only have a $2 million budget. There are no additional taxes — they won't go up and they won't go down,” she said.
• Also in Lincoln Heights, two charter amendments would change the effective date a newly elected city council assumes office and conducts its first organizational meeting from Dec. 13 to Jan. 1 of the following year.
• In Montgomery, a charter amendment would allow city council to conduct executive sessions as provided under guidelines of the state's open meetings statute for pending litigation, personnel issues, financial matters or real estate transactions.
Back to Primary 2000 page
Hamilton County
Cincinnati Public Schools levies
Deer Park, Mariemont, Madeira, Three Rivers schools
Hamilton Co. Commissioner (Dem.)
Hamilton Co. Commissioner(Rep.)
Hamilton Co. safety, road issues
Ohio House 31st District (Dem.)
Ohio House 32nd District (Dem.)
Ohio House 32nd District (Rep.)
Ohio House 34th District (Rep.)
Ohio House 36th District (Rep.)
Ohio House 37th District (Rep.)
Clermont County
Clermont Co. commissioner (Rep.)
Clermont Co. issues
Milford school bond issue
Ohio House 72nd District (Rep.)
Butler County
Union or West Chester: Name the township
Butler Co. police, fire levies
Lakota, Talawanda schools
Monroe school district
Ohio House 60th District (Rep.)
U.S. House 8th District (Dem.)
Warren County
Mason, Kings, Little Miami schools
Warren Co. commissioner
Warren Co. fire levies
Ohio House 2nd District (Rep.)
U.S. House, 6th District (Rep.)
