Lengthy discussion at the council’s last regular meeting led to a series of budget cuts, including $40,000 for the city’s annual events, $380,000 for capital projects related to the Hub District Revitalization, $340,000 in park improvements and $10,000 in overhead costs.
The city will still hold its Independence Day event and fireworks for the United States’ 250th anniversary, but Spring Fling, Harvest on Main, and Hometown Christmas will all be cancelled for 2026.
“It’s going to take us 15 years to dig ourselves out of this hole, but for the very first time in the last 40 years, we’re actually committed to doing it,” said Xenia Mayor Will Urschel.
“Every other plan we’ve ever had has been ‘best effort,’ which has always been ‘the roads are going to get worse next year.’ And so this will be the first time we say, ‘Hey, the roads are actually going to get better.’”
The Hub District money was intended to acquire and revitalize property around Xenia Station, and the other park improvements included projects at Sterling Green, Lexington and Sol Arnovitz parks, which will be delayed at least a year. The overhead costs include travel and training, materials and miscellaneous line items.
The city also plans to implement “limited” street assessments starting next year that would be capped at $15 per month per property, and reduce the income tax credit paid to other cities from 1.5% to 1.25%.
The assessments are expected to bring in more than $1 million, while the income tax credit reduction is expected to generate $374,000. The city will also increase license registration fees, estimated to bring in $125,000.
With the budget reductions combined with the city’s existing $895,000 budget for street repairs, Xenia will invest $1.7 million in its streets next year. With the increase in revenue, that number goes up to $3.1 million.
The city is committed to paving eight miles of residential roads next year. Previously, the annual maximum had been five.
“For more than 40 years our roads have been falling further and further behind,” said mayor-elect Ethan Reynolds. “This did not happen overnight, and I know it will not be solved overnight. In the last two years we have made real strides, and we are finally taking this challenge seriously, but the truth is that our goal must be to keep making progress and fix the roads we can.”
All reductions and increases were approved unanimously except for the reduction in income tax credit, for which Reynolds votED no.
“I do not believe in double-taxing the people who call Xenia home,” Reynolds said. “Families are already doing everything they can to make ends meet, and I will not add to that burden.”
Some of the discussion at the meeting centered around potential changes to the city’s portion paid toward school resource officers for Xenia schools and the Greene County Career Center, specifically asking the school districts to pay a greater portion of the officers’ salary and benefits. This was estimated to gain the city about $200,000, but Xenia Police Chief Chris Stutes told council that that effort was like “trying to get blood from a turnip.”
“You guys are playing with fire here,” Stutes said. “Our goal is to make generational changes with these kids ... My fear is that if you squeeze the schools too hard and they walk away from it ... that creates a snowball effect.”
Ultimately, no changes to police or fire and EMS were made at the meeting.
Xenia voters rejected an income tax measure this November that would have paid for paving of residential streets. The 0.24% annual income tax increase would have run for five years and increased taxes by $120 annually for someone with an annual income of $50,000, according to city data.
The condition of streets has long been a point of consternation in the city. The city has spent an average of $1.3 million annually on street rehabilitation in the last 10 years.
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