In Xenia, the chickens could very well end up squawking down Main Street.
Last week, Xenia City Council enacted a series of budget cuts after its citizens voted down a temporary, 5-year 0.24% annual income tax increase to help pay for road maintenance. The measure failed by 78 votes, with 2,228 people voting no and 2,150 voting yes, according to the certified results.
So the city, as it should, acted. It announced it would cut local services and institute an assessment to raise the $3.1 million it needs to fix its streets. The commission eliminated three popular local events — Spring Fling, Harvest on Main, and Hometown Christmas — and also cut funds earmarked for city and park improvements.
Voters recoil when they hear “tax.” Their first response is likely no, only in more colorful terms, because they’re tired of municipalities asking them for money.
So over the next year, citizens and council will get to see whether the cuts cause lasting damage, or whether it’s not a thing. Other local governments should watch the outcome.
For the community, how much does losing the three events hurt them? Does an absence of activities like face painting, petting zoos, farmers’ markets, craft shows, and Santa really matter? Will they simply go to nearby communities and enjoy similar events? Will they shrug their shoulders? Will they be happy that the $10 a month they’ll save — that’s the amount it would have cost someone earning $50,000 annually — is worth losing a piece of community?
The city has a far harder job. The cuts are the easy part, but it needs to do time-consuming data gathering to show the value of the events that have been lost and the impact on the city.
In the short term, how much money will the vendors who rely on those events lose? Will they decide they should focus on other cities with more events and a wider customer base?
Event attendees often browse nearby small businesses, so how will this impact them? Will employees, who happen to be friends and neighbors, have their hours and salaries cut?
Long-term, are prospective businesses crossing Xenia off their list because its citizens said no to a small tax increase? Will a cut in community amenities impact property values or the desire for people to move into the city? Remember, it’s not just about rejecting the tax question; it’s about what the rejection says to outsiders who may wonder how invested Xenia residents are in their community.
Council will need answers to these questions, especially if (as I would expect) it decides to bring another temporary increase before voters. That would make sense. You don’t throw up your hands over 78 votes and $10 a month.
Now, some will see this as an overreaction to a few events. But it’s more than the events. It’s the reputational risk to any community that decides these amenities aren’t important.
Maybe, in Xenia, they’re not. But as with any decision, watch the chickens.
Ray Marcano’s column appears on these pages every Sunday.
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