[ back ]
Munson road projects in voters' hands
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - August 06, 2009)
Munson road projects in voters' hands
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
When household finances begin running tight, a family may have to make certain concessions. Sacrifices might include no more eating out, keeping the lights turned off or putting off a vacation.
James Teichman, who heads Munson Township's road department, said that situation is not unlike the one facing his department as it seeks voter approval for two issues Nov. 3.
But, unlike the family, it is not only the luxuries that will have to be cut from the budget if the two levies fail.
Most people associate road departments only with the annual road repairs, he said. But, they also provide the labor for the annual clean-up days, the setting up and taking down for the annual community picnic and keeping the cemeteries manicured, Mr. Teichman said.
Without the two levies, he said, all of those duties become question marks.
The levies are a 2-mill, four-year levy and a 2.1-mill, five-year levy. The 2.1-mill levy was first passed by voters in 1976 while the 2.0-mill levy was first passed in 1994.
Neither, Mr. Teichman said, will increase taxes for residents.
"Due to the economic times, we decided this is not the time to ask for an increase," he said. "We'll make do with what were getting."
If they pass, the road department will be able to keep up with road repairs and all the other duties, he said.
If they don't, he said, roads will begin to deteriorate and some of the other fringe benefits the department provides could crumble away as well.
Because most road departments are dealing with aging infrastructure, keeping up with the regular maintenance is critical, Mr. Teichman said.
Without financing, he said, his department would have to begin to let roads go. When the money does become available, he said, the department will face three times the amount of work to make the repairs.
Road departments also are facing increasing costs for asphalt and other materials, Mr. Teichman said. What the township once spent to repair three roads, now can only do one.
Ten years ago, Mr. Teichman said, the cost for resurfacing a road was about $60,000 to $70,000. That cost has risen to about $100,000, he said. Those earlier projects, at a cheaper price, also allowed for 2 1/2 to 3 inches of asphalt, compared to the 2-inch layer now used.
This year, the township is spending $200,000 to resurface Cedar Road, between Auburn and Rockhaven roads, he said.
He said residents only have to wait until winter to see the effects of a budget crunch. The State of Ohio will be making changes to its winter routine, he said. State snowplow crews will no longer be out at night plowing and there will be less salt applied, he said.
He said Munson residents must decide what type of road program they want for their community. "They decide their own destiny," he said.
Township Fiscal Officer Patricia Bayer said township officials carefully weighed options about how to approach taxpayers with this levy. Previously, the township, which is served by three levies, had placed all three on a single ballot. But, she said, they found that voters would often decide they would support just one or two of them.
That is how one of the three was defeated, putting the township in a financial crunch. She said the township was able to recover the lost levy in November 2007 when voters approved a 0.75-mill levy.
Now, they are dividing up the last two to make sure they do not appear on the same ballot by making one a four-year and the other a five-year levy.
Mrs. Bayer said trustees took into consideration taxpayer pocketbooks at this time, asking only what the township is already receiving. "We're not trying to gouge money out of people," she said.
The 2-mill levy will generate $298,913 annually at 100 percent collection rate. That will cost homeowners $36.46 for each $100,000 of property valuation. The 2.1-mill will general $123,835 annually at full collection rate and cost $13.70 for every $100,000 of home value.
Mrs. Bayer said taxpayers only have to consider the cost of car repairs to see what a bargain they are getting.
"You only have to hit one pothole to see you would pay more for car repairs than you would for a whole year with the levies," she said.
[ back ]
