“I don’t feel as if we can ask our citizens for more money,” council member Zach Upton said during Monday’s discussion. “Twenty-five percent of our population just got furloughed,” he said, referring to unpaid furloughs at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base triggered by federal sequestration.
Bill Kucera, city finance director, has said the city will need additional funding beyond the 1-mill street levy because material costs are increasing while revenue is not. Council considered three other alternatives that would have increased taxes by up to $4 million annually to pay for needed street improvements and equipment replacement over the next five years.
According to Jeff Moorman, city engineer, 54 percent of Beavercreek’s 251.24 miles of streets are rate either fair, poor or critical.
“My concern is we need a bare minimum of $3.2 million to keep up with what we need,” Mayor Vicki Giambrone said Monday of the renewal.
Upton said the 1-mill renewal would get the city through 2014. “We can look at additional mills later.”
Kucera agreed the renewal would be acceptable as long as council realized that it the street fund balance will decrease to about 7.5 percent. Council had set a 15 percent threshold in case of a major emergency, such as a blizzard or prolonged snow storm. .
“There will be an impact, and it will be seen on the street,” council member Brian Jarvis said.
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