The Miami Conservancy District is readjusting its appraisal of flood protection benefits this year, and people living in areas served by Dayton’s levee and dam system can attend two information sessions to learn how that will impact their tax bills.
The first session is scheduled for Tuesday, April 2 from 4-6 p.m. at Hobart Arena in Troy. Another session is planned for Thursday, April 4 at Dayton Metro Library’s main branch from 4-6 p.m.
This will be the first reappraisal the Miami Conservancy District has held since 2012. It includes proposals for a new capital assessment and an increase to the maintenance assessment residents are paying, both of which could go into effect in 2025.
It follows the historic rise in property values in Ohio. Montgomery County saw an average increase of 34% in residential property value countywide as a part of the state-mandated triennial update last year.
“Flood protection assessments are based partly on property values,” says MaryLynn Lodor, Miami Conservancy District general manager. “And property values change over time. Other factors that determine the assessment include the 1913 depth and extent of flooding on the property, and the current location of buildings or improvements on the site. A team of civil engineers and other professionals used computer mapping technology to accurately determine these factors. With the readjustment, we assure equitable distribution of the flood protection costs.”
The district, which was formed after the Great Dayton Flood in 1913, is funded by individual assessments on properties and “unit assessments’' paid by five counties and 22 communities.
These assessments are not taxes and are currently based on property values from 12 years ago, according to the Miami Conservancy District.
Property values and the level of protection are two of the main factors that determine how much property owners pay. Properties protected by levees are considered to receive “full protection.” Properties protected by dams receive “partial protection.”
The capital assessment is a charge to a property that will go toward rehabilitating dams, concrete, levees and channels.
The conservancy district’s last capital assessment expired in 2022.
Properties that receive flood protection are already charged a maintenance assessment. An increase is proposed for these charges from 2.19% to 2.78%.
According to the Miami Conservancy District, these adjusted assessments could cost a $100,000 home up to roughly $33 per month.
This is the seventh readjustment of the appraisal of benefits since the completion of the flood protection system in 1922. In 2020, the Conservancy Court ordered a “Readjustment of the Appraisal of Benefits” to make sure the costs are equitably distributed, in accordance with state law.
About $80 million in capital needs for the system have been identified for the next 10 years.
The Dayton-based flood protection system includes 55 miles of levees and floodwalls; five dry dams; 185 floodgates; 1,100 acres of floodplain; and 35,000 acres of land to store water.
Next steps
Property owners can file an exception to the readjusted benefits in writing by April 24. More information about exceptions can be found on the Miami Conservancy District’s website.
A board of county Common Pleas Court judges in July is tasked with considering the appraisal record and proposed rates for assessments. These assessments will be filed with county auditor’s offices in September. Assessments will be collected in early 2025.
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