“We thank the voters and are very happy with the passage of the income tax renewal and appreciate the trust the voters have placed in the city to continue to provide the best services we can while spending their tax dollars as prudently as we can,” said Chris Pozzuto, Springboro’s city manager.
City officials said because it is an earned income tax, it does not apply to social security, unemployment or pensions. The renewal levy will allow the city to maintain its 1.5% earned income tax rate and extend it into the future.
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This 0.5% piece of the city’s income tax was originally approved by voters in 1988 to generate revenues for water and sewer treatment plant improvements as well as other ongoing capital improvements, according to City Manager Chris Pozzuto. He said that 0.5% tax is set to expire at the end of the year when those projects are paid off.
Pozzuto said the 0.5% generates about $5.6 million each year and is critical for the city’s general operations and capital improvement program. Projects include the annual street resurfacing program, filling potholes, park development and maintenance, water and sewer infrastructure, and the purchase of snow plows and police vehicles, he said.
Springboro school board
For the regular four-year terms, there are only two candidates for the two open seats, so Lisa Babb and Sarah Schleehauf, both of whom are on the board now, are elected automatically.
But there’s a separate vote for a third seat, with incumbent Jamie Belanger running against challenger Brian Retterer. With all precincts reporting, Belanger won by a vote of 57.69% to Retterer’s 42.31%, according to final, unofficial results from the Warren County Board of Elections.
That race was for the final two years of the term that Charles Anderson was elected to in November 2021, before he stepped down from the board.
“I’m appreciative to the community,” Belanger said. “It speaks to the positive momentum in the district and the community sees that. It reinforces that we are going in the right direction and that the community is behind us. It’s a good feeling.”
Belanger, who has been on the board for the past eight years, said his top issues are continuing successful oversight and execution of the district’s most recent strategic plan, maintaining high academic standards, and creating a culture and climate that engages and motivates students.
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