Increased taxes on farms and a call for money to build and maintain a new school were issues that apparently hampered this township’s 2.7-mills general funds levy that failed by 164 votes in the last election.

A one-vote school bond and operating levy also failed Nov. 6 – by just 78 votes – that was asking for a $15.1 million bond issue and 1.7-mills operating levy.

Jefferson Township has not passed a general funds levy since 1976.

“We had the state take away some CAUV (Current Agricultural Use Value) funds,” said Marvin Gephart, a 75-year-old farmer who has lived in the township most of his life. “That was a couple years ago. My taxes went up 45 percent.

“Then you had the other levy for the schools. There wasn’t that much dissent. Altogether, it was just too much.”

CAUV funds determine the value of farm and wood land at its current use rather than the “highest and best” potential use of the land. That used to give farmers a break.

Those breaks no longer exist, according to Gephart, who said his taxes rose from $8,000 in 2009 to $20,000 the next year.

Still, he voted for the township’s general fund levy, but not the school levy.

The school board will likely go back on the ballot. The township is thinking about it. While the township has not passed a general funds levy for decades, it has passed levies for police, fire and EMS and has a permanent levy for roads.

Jefferson Township uses the Sheriff’s office for police (a levy fund of $407,191 takes care of that), a volunteer and part-time staff for fire and EMS ($336,375) and its permanent road levy generates $218.710 in funds.

However, the general fund, which has more than $400,000 in it, generates only $36,939 a year off that 1976 levy, not enough to keep up code enforcement, zoning or any extras the township residents may desire.

“We will survive,” said Len Roberts, township administrator. “At some time, we’ll have to look at code enforcement and zoning. We had 29 buildings taken down with money from the county (recently) and have to focus on small economic development and bring stability and some tax revenue.

“There were a lot of things on the last ballot, and we were the last issue on the ballot. We knew it was going to be a tough race.”