BETHEL TWP.

The Bethel Twp. trustees are asking voters to approve the replacement of a 3.80 mill levy first approved by voters for five years in 2003. It has been renewed three times since then.

The levy would generate $619,262 annually. The cost to the owner of a $100,000 home value would be $133, an increase of $46, according to information from the Miami County Auditor’s Office.

“The trustees, after much discussion and financial analysis and projections, decided to put the levy on the ballot as a replacement because additional funds are needed to continue purchasing conservation easements, funding the agricultural easement program, constructing infrastructure and providing matching funds for state and federal grants and paying for day to day expenses of the township to keep it running efficiently and effectively,” said Trustee Beth van Haaren.

BROWN TWP.

The Brown Twp. trustees are seeking an additional 1.5-mills for five years for current expenses. The measure would generate $60,273 and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $52.50 a year, according to the county auditor’s office.

Township officials failed to respond to emails and phone calls asking for more detail on the request.

FLETCHER

The village of Fletcher is asking voters to approve a 1.15 mill replacement with increase levy for fire protection.

The levy would generate $6,209 a year costing the owner of a $100,000 home $40.25, an increase of $13.54 over the existing levy.

Fletcher Mayor Penny Reed said the request is based on increasing costs for the volunteer fire department.

“The fire has not had an increase for quite a long time. They haven’t asked us for any and have gone off of whatever we generated. They were OK with that but with the increase in everything, fuel and everything, they asked us for an increase,” Reed said. “Since they hadn’t had anything, we thought that would be a good thing. "

TIPP CITY

By moving 0.2 percent of the existing income tax from capital improvements to general municipal operations, the city will have greater flexibility in use of the money generated, Green said.

Approval of the request would move approximately $1 million a year from the capital improvement fund to the general fund to help pay for police, fire/EMS, parks and general city administration.

“While the ballot initiative is not solely intended to fund the Fire/EMS Department, the city has for several years discussed the need to eventually move from a fully volunteer/part-time department to a combined department including both full-time and part-time employees. Each year it becomes more difficult to find volunteer and part-time staffing,” Green said.

“If the ballot initiative is not approved, the City Council will have a hard decision to make how to, or whether to, fund the Fire/EMS conversion or to reduce the scope or timing of the conversion,” he said.

In addition to fire and EMS, the city needs to consider staffing and pay levels in other departments, Green said.

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