On Issue 4, a request to renew the city of Beavercreek’s 1-mill street levy, results show 73 percent in favor and 27 percent against.
On Issue 14, a .05-mill additional levy to maintain Beavercreek Twp. parks, 64 percent of voters were for it and 36 percent were against.
The Beavercreek Twp. Park District posted a statement on Facebook after the final results were tallied.
“Issue 14 passed and will ensure both of our parks (Victory and Community) will continue to be inviting and appealing for surrounding community. Thank you to all of the voters who agreed and voted in favor of Beavercreek Issue 14 Parks Levy,” the statement reads.
On Issue 17, a 6-mill substitute emergency levy for Beavercreek schools, 55 percent were in favor and 45 percent voted against it.
Beavercreek City Schools Spokesman Ryan Gilding issued a statement following the results.
“We want to thank our community for their continued support,” Gilding’s statement reads. “Passage of this levy will allow Beavercreek City Schools to realize financial stability now and into the future. More importantly, our district will continue to provide the same high level of services students and families deserve.”
LIVE: Nov. 7, 2017 election results
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Beavercreek residents will decide on three tax issues Tuesday — new funding for parks, and money for schools and streets at current levels that no longer would need voter approval every few years.
The Nov. 7 ballot for Beavercreek voters will feature Issue 4, a request to renew the city’s 1-mill street operating levy; Issue 14, a .05-mill additional levy to support township park maintenance; and Issue 17, a 6-mill substitute emergency levy for Beavercreek City Schools.
The school’s tax proposal is to replace the existing levy, which voters currently face every five years, with a substitute levy that does not require periodic voter approval.
The levy currently generates about $10.4 million a year, costing property owners approximately $210 a year for every $100,000 of value.
If approved, revenue from the substitute levy would increase as more property owners move into the district, as opposed to the current tax, which collects a set amount and gradually reduces current property owners’ tax bills as new homes are built and occupied.
Voters narrowly rejected the school tax proposal in May.
School officials have posted information about the levy request on the district’s website and have a video posted on vimeo.com.
Penny Rucker, Beavercreek City Schools treasurer, said in the video the proposal “makes good sense” for the district.
“As new growth occurs in Beavercreek … a substitute emergency levy allows the school district the opportunity to capture new revenue from those individuals and companies moving into the community,” Rucker says in the video. “It requires these new residents and businesses to pay at the same rate that current residents and businesses pay.”
Resident Auston Hensley said he will support the parks and streets levies, but he’s opposed to the school tax.
Hensley said there’s less accountability if the school district can continually collect increasing amounts of revenue without returning to voters for approval.
“The Beavercreek substitute levy would result in a permanent tax hike on everyone in the city,” Hensley said. “The permanent levy would also remove any semblance of accountability the Beavercreek school board would have to its voters.”
Issue 14 is a .05-mill levy that would cost about $1.75 for every $100,000 of property value.
The tax would provide funding to support the township’s parks — Community Park, on Factory Road just north of U.S. 35; and Victory Park, 2260 Dayton Xenia Road, which features Owen’s Place, a universal access playground.
The annual budget to maintain the parks, currently at $21,000, will jump to $37,000 next year because of cuts in funding to pay for landscaping, mowing and other functions, according to information provided by the Beavercreek Twp. Park District.
Issue 4 is a request to renew Beavercreek’s 1-mill street operating levy, which is set to expire at the end of the year.
The street levy generates approximately $1.3 million a year, or about 22.5 percent of the street department’s annual budget, and it costs property owners approximately $31 per $100,000 of value each year. It’s one of two street levies that fund city services such as snow and ice removal; street and ditch maintenance; mowing, landscaping and tree trimming, according to the city.
If approved, the street levy would become continuous, which means it would stay in effect and not require voter approval every five years, according to the city.
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