MOUNT VERNON — Seven Knox County townships, one village and one EMS district will have tax levies on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
Here’s a closer look at what each issue will entail:
College Township
College Township’s 1-mill replacement levy would fund fire and EMS coverage for the next five years.
Township Trustee Bernie Ingles noted that over the last year, College Township has lowered its fire and EMS tax from 12.25 mills to 8.25 mills. The replacement levy on this year’s ballot would allow the township to collect on current property values and maintain its contract with the Mount Vernon Fire Department, which began serving the township out of its Brooklyn Street station last June.
“That’s the whole point of the levy, is to keep our funding at a level where we can do that,” he said. “We’re not looking at making extra money, or buying new fire equipment. We’re just trying to maintain our contract with Mount Vernon so that we can have these services in our community.”
The MVFD responded to 31 fire and EMS calls in the township last month. Seventeen came from Kenyon College, 10 came from township residents, and four came from Gambier residents.
The replacement levy would allow the township to continue collecting 8.25 mills for fire and EMS protection, but with one of those mills at current property values. It would commence in 2023, with first payments due in 2024.
Milford Township
Milford Township’s 3-mill replacement levy would fund road, street and bridge projects for the next five years. It would commence in 2023, with first payments due in 2024.
Township Fiscal Officer Crystal McElhaney said it’s been at least 15 years since the township has put a replacement levy on the ballot. The trustees decided to do so this year because there are more homes being built in the area, McElhaney said, increasing the need for proper road maintenance.
“For years, they have just done a renewal … which allows the township to collect on whatever property values were at the time it was originally passed. With a replacement levy, you get (to collect) on current property values,” McElhaney said.
“It will help us. We are really trying to improve our 24 miles of road. It’s mostly gravel, but we’re getting a lot of new homes and a lot of those people would like to see a paved road, and that takes money.”
McElhaney stressed that levy funds will not be used to pay employees. They will strictly go toward road material and equipment.
“It’s for maintaining what we have and improving. …” she said. “It’s the first time in a while (Milford Township has had a replacement levy on the ballot), and it’s not a great deal of money. But every little bit helps, especially because the prices of everything have gone up.”
Middlebury Township
Middlebury Township’s 2-mill replacement levy would fund road, street and bridge projects for the next five years. It would commence in 2023, with first payments due in 2024.
Adam Grubb, who served as a township trustee before becoming the fiscal officer in 2017, said it has been “many, many years” since Middlebury Township has asked for a replacement roads, streets and bridges levy. He said the trustees decided to do so this year in order to catch up with current property values.
“I can’t tell you how many years we’ve had this levy, but it’s been many, many years with those same (original) property values,” Grubb said. “We’re wanting to catch up on current tax values. We’ve kept it at 2 mills, and it’s still at 2 mills, we’re just going to catch up with current property values.”
The levy would allow Middlebury Township to continue to maintain its nearly 30 miles of roads, most of which are chip-and-seal surface. If the levy doesn’t pass, Grubb said, the township will have to cut its annual paving program in half.
“This helps just supplement our every-year asphalt projects that we do. So there’s nothing in particular we want to do with it, it’s just every year, we use this money to add to our general fund for our paving projects. …” Grubb said.
“It just allows us to pave and upkeep that much more roadway. This money here allows us to do an extra mile, mile-and-a-half of road. Three miles a year is roughly what we can do. So if this (levy) didn’t pass, it would cut in half what we’d be able to do.”
Berlin Township
Berlin Township’s 2-mill replacement levy for road, street and bridge maintenance and repairs would last four years. It would commence in 2023, with payments first due in 2024.
The township has approximately 27 miles of road to monitor, Township Trustee Matt Caputo said. Future projects will focus on maintaining roads, such as paving roads and adding catch basins.
The levy is a replacement rather than a renewal due to an increase in material costs, Caputo said.
Brown Township
Brown Township’s 3-mill replacement levy would fund road, street and bridge projects for the next five years. It would commence in 2023, with first payments due in 2024.
Township officials did not respond to Knox Pages’ requests for comment on the levy.
Pleasant Township
Pleasant Township’s additional 1-mill levy for fire and EMS protection would last three years. It would commence in 2022, with payments first due in 2023.
The levy would be added on to the township’s existing 2.5-mill levy. The 2.5 mills generate approximately $146,700 per year, Township Fiscal Officer Chris Light said.Â
In 2022, the levy generated $151,715.20. The additional 1-mill levy would collect an estimated $63,000 per year. If passed, Light said, residents would pay an additional $35 per year on a home with a tax valuation of $100,000, bringing the new combined total to $122.50 per year.
Howard Township
Howard Township’s 1-mill renewal levy for road, street and bridge maintenance would last four years and generate an estimated $170,000 per year, Township Fiscal Officer Carol Gilmore said. It would commence in 2022, with first payments due in 2023.
The levy would allow the township, made up of roughly 5,000 citizens, to replace culverts and maintain over 59 miles of roadways.
Village of Martinsburg
The Village of Martinsburg’s 5-mill renewal levy would help fund daily operating expenses for the next five years.
Village Clerk Kim Rine said that because this is a renewal levy, it would not result in an increase in taxes for residents. Levy dollars would be used for a variety of everyday purposes.
“It will be used to maintain our traffic light, to run electricity out to the well field so they all have water – literally just our bare minimum operating expenses,” she said.
The levy would commence in 2023, with first payments due in 2024.
Fredericktown Community Joint Ambulance District
Fredericktown EMS’ 0.6-mill renewal levy would allow the district to continue providing ambulance and emergency medical services for the next five years. It would commence in 2023, with first payments due in 2024.
Fredericktown EMS Chief Rick Lanuzza said in a letter to 43019 Magazine that the levy “will not raise taxes,” as it is a renewal. It would also keep the district’s total millage at 2.6 mills
“When relying on multiple expiring levies, we unfortunately are forced to continue to come back to voters all too frequently,” Lanuzza wrote. “Like all other businesses and industries, EMS is experiencing increased costs in fuel, staffing, medical supplies and ambulances, while at the same time seeing an increased run volume.”
Lanuzza said “things are not going to get less expensive and the EMS calls are not going to go down with our population both aging and growing at the same time.” Fredericktown EMS currently performs over 1,000 runs per year, Lanuzza said, with current run volumes 25% higher in 2022 than in 2020 and 14% higher than in 2021.
“Fredericktown EMS is dedicated to providing the best service possible to our residents and continues to be a leader in EMS services throughout Knox and surrounding counties,” Lanuzza wrote. “Our members bring the most state of the art equipment and practices to your front door to give you the best chance of survival when you need us most.”
