🦽 Social services: Montgomery County voters will decide in November whether to renew an 8-year, $58 million property tax levy that funds key social services, with no increase in the taxes residents currently pay.
🪪 Library card perks: The Dayton Metro Library continues to broaden its impact by offering free admission to local cultural institutions like Carillon Historical Park and the Dayton Art Institute, aiming to increase community access to these resources.
🎤 Jimmy Kimmel: ABC will reinstate Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show tonight after suspending it due to his comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
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Downtown property owners renew special improvement fees: Some cheer, others unhappy
Leaders of the Downtown Dayton Partnership say property owners have approved a five-year extension of a Special Improvement District.
• What is a SID? Special improvement districts are areas in which property owners agree to pay additional fees or taxes for specific services or improvements. To create or renew a SID, a petition must be signed and approved by the owners of at least 60% of the front footage in the district.
• Use of funds: Fees collected will pay for downtown services like sidewalk cleaning, beautification projects, safety patrols and marketing and business support.
• What the SID board is saying: “These services are critical to maintaining a vibrant, welcoming and competitive urban core,” said Ryan Powell, chair of the Downtown Dayton Special Improvement District (SID) board of directors. “The SID plays a central role in ensuring downtown remains a clean, safe and attractive destination for residents, businesses and visitors alike.”
• What opponents say: “The SID is heavy with administrative salaries and light with results,” said Chris Riegel, founder and chief executive of digital signage company Stratacache who owns a handful of downtown office buildings. “I strongly believe that money spent on things like CURIO is not being well spent and should be directly spent on police bike patrols and direct security/safety action to make downtown safer.”
Countywide levy on November ballot would raise $58M for social services, not raise taxes
Voters in November will be asked to renew a levy that funds $58 million in social services in Montgomery County, with no increase in taxes residents are already paying.
• It’s big: This 8-year, 6.03 mill levy is one of the largest property tax levies in the county.
• Unique case: Montgomery County is among only a few counties that have combined human services levies. A staggered levy model was proposed to the public decades ago as a method of supporting multiple agencies that provide social services to residents through one funding pool.
• Who benefits: Agencies like Montgomery County Children Services, Montgomery County Developmental Disabilities Services, Montgomery County Alcohol Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services, Older Adult Services and Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County all receive Human Services Levy dollars.
• Cost to homeowners: Homeowners currently pay $114 for every $100,000 of property value for this levy.
FREE CONTENT: How to get free museum admission with your Dayton Metro Library card
Access to services beyond books continues to be a driving factor for the Dayton Metro Library, which provides free admission to Carillon Historical Park and the Dayton Art Institute.
What to know today
• One big takeaway: An argument about mud and grass on a vehicle took place shortly before a man allegedly shot and killed a landscaper in Dayton last week.
• Tip of the day: The city of Kettering is helping homeowners with upgrades and repairs as well as free home rehabilitation to address lead-based paint.
• Dayton Food & Dining: Long before SoSo Cuisine owner Solange Asingabona opened her restaurant, she was well-known among her friends and family for her cooking skills.
• Heads up: Clark State and Xenia are opening a school for 911 dispatchers as region faces a shortage of operators.
• Athlete of the week: We’ve opened the voting for the Dayton Daily News Athlete of the Week for competitions played last week.
• Video of the day: Travel 20 minutes west of Englewood and 80 feet below ground to explore one of the world’s longest haunts situated in an abandoned limestone mine. Check out our video from the Lewisburg Haunted Cave ▶️.
