Mahoning Valley officials concerned voters will decide ‘no’ on levies because of property valuations
Mahoning Valley - Editor's note: A previous version of this story has been modified to reflect that the additional taxes homeowners would pay are calculated annually, not monthly.
Across the Mahoning Valley, there are concerns that levies will be shot down this election.
In Sebring, there are four levies on the ballot, causing some to worry they might be asking for too much at once.
“They do have some big decisions to make as to what services they want to see maintained,” Tim Gabrelcik, the Sebring Village Manager said.
For three of those levies, voters will be basing their decision blindly. Police, fire and the new parks levy will come on top of new tax rates, which won't be released until January. So, voters can't calculate what exactly the taxes will be, they only know their property values have gone way up.
In Champion Township, some are also worried voters will be hesitant with a levy. The safety levy would give funding for fire, police and EMS. The fire department would use it to bring on more full-time staffers and get a new ambulance. While the police department would use some of the funds for new cruisers and new radio’s.
The fire chief, Tom Dempsey, is cautiously optimistic it will pass because of a lack of understanding.
“They’re saying that our values are going up, the levies are going to bring in more money, it's going to cost us more. That is not the case. This levy is based on 1/1 of (20)23,” Dempsey said.
Meaning, voters in Champion Township can calculate what the additional tax will be before they head to the polls, but they won't know what their tax rate before the levies will be. So, they don't know how big of a tax burden they'll be adding to.
If the levy doesn't pass in Champion Township, Chief Dempsey said they'll have to rely on other cities and towns to help them with calls because they won't have the staff.
In Sebring, Gabrelcik, said they can always reevaluate the new levies if they're shot down but the renewal for the parks is critical to pass.
The Champion Township safety levy is a 5.5 mil, 5 year levy. For a resident with a $100,000 home they would pay $16.05 a month in additional taxes if the levy passes.
The Sebring police levy is a 2 mill, 5 year levy. For a resident with a $100,000 home they would pay $70.00 a year in additional taxes if the levy passes. The Sebring fire levy is a 4.5 mill, continuous levy. For a resident with a $100,000 home they would pay $158 a year in additional taxes if the levy passes. The Sebring parks levy is a 2 mill, 5 year levy. For a resident with a $100,000 home they would pay $70.00 a year in additional taxes if the levy passes.
