As a continuing levy, the 0.45-mill levy would begin collections for the continuing period beginning in 2027 and for all tax years following until it is either terminated for reduced.
The 0.45-mill levy generates around $1 million each year, said Britt Havenar, chief deputy engineer. The change was requested by the office of the Miami County Engineer Paul Huelskamp.
The request is an attempt by the office “to be a bit more cost effective,” Havenar said.
Placing an issue before voters isn’t free for the office.
“It does have an expense with it to place it on the ballot,” Havenar said.
When the issue last appeared on the ballot in 2020, the election cost to the county was around $16,400 for ballots and advertising. The amount would have been equally divided between county candidates and the bridge levy, according to the Board of Elections.
The levy has “been a trusted source of funding that allows us to maintain critical infrastructure and leverage state and federal dollars,” County Commissioner Wade Westfall said.
“That said, I’ll admit I’m a bit apprehensive about making it permanent,” Westfall added. “Regular voter engagement helps keep the process transparent and the public involved ... However, I understand the reasoning behind the proposal —moving to a continuing levy will also save taxpayers money by avoiding the cost of putting the levy on the ballot every five years.”
The commissioners voted Thursday, July 17, to place the request on the ballot.
The county is only one of a handful in the state with a bridge levy.
“We are also one of a few counties with two major rivers going through it,” Havenar said of the Great Miami and Stillwater rivers.
The levy income is used most often as a match when the county is seeking federal money toward a project.
“It allows us to bring federal funds back to our area,” Havenar said.
Among recent projects benefitting from the levy was the Peterson Road Bridge replacement over the Great Miami River north of Troy. Another project bridge levy funds will benefit is the Garnsey Road Bridge deck replacement in Piqua. That bridge also spans the Miami River.
“The million dollars sounds like a lot but when you are talking about bridges that are going for $5 million, it just allows us to bring money back for the local match,” Havenar said.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com.
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