Montgomery, Miami county voters to decide on tax levies May 8

Several local townships and small towns will ask voters to approve tax levies May 8 to pay for fire and emergency medical services, street maintenance and other expenses.

There is not a single school levy on the May 8 ballot in either Montgomery or Miami county — the first time that has happened in multiple years. In the past four May and November elections, those two counties have had four to nine school levies on the ballot each time.

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Wednesday was the deadline for school districts, cities, townships and other government agencies to file tax issues with the board of elections, to appear on the ballot.

Montgomery County

** The small city of Union, north of Englewood, will have a pair of new property tax levies on the May 8 ballot. Each levy is a permanent, 2.5-mill ballot issue, one for police services and one for Fire/EMS. Each would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an extra $87.50 per year, according to the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office.

** Washington Twp. also will have two levies on the May 8 ballot. The 4.65-mill Fire/EMS levy is a straight five-year renewal that would not increase tax rates. But the five-year parks and recreation levy is a “replacement with increase” levy that would make millage rise from 0.7 to 1.0. The annual cost for the owner of a $100,000 home would rise from the current $19.80 to $35.00. It’s not a tax levy, but Washington Twp. voters will also weigh in on a hotly watched zoning referendum related to redevelopment of the former Hithergreen Center.

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** German Twp. will have one renewal levy and one additional levy on the May 8 ballot. The parks and recreation pool levy is a five-year, 0.5-mill renewal that would not change tax rates. The five-year, 2-mill road and bridge levy would be a new tax that would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $70 per year.

** Clay Twp. voters will decide on a new, permanent 3.5-mill Fire/EMS levy. It would cost an extra $122.50 for the owner of a $100,000 home.

** Jefferson Twp. is asking voters to approve a permanent 3.75-mill levy for general operating expenses, at an added cost of $131.25 per $100,000 of value.

** Perry Twp. placed a permanent 1.5-mill Fire/EMS levy on the ballot. The new tax would cost $52.50 annually for the owner of a $100,000 home.

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** Harrison Twp. is asking voters to renew its existing 4.0-mill police levy and make the tax permanent. The annual rate of $122.50 for a $100,000 home would not change.

Miami County

Only two tax levies will appear on Miami County ballots, but both are new taxes, according to elections officials.

** Voters in the village of Covington will decide on a new five-year, 3-mill emergency levy to pay for street maintenance. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $105 per year.

**Brown Twp., east of Piqua, is asking voters to decide on a new five-year, 1.5-mill levy to be used for general operating expenses. The annual cost would be $52.50 per $100,000 of value.

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