Trustees on Friday voted to approve resolutions requesting the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office certify the tax valuation in anticipation of replacement levies and continuing levies for the police department at rates of 5.25, 5.50, 5.75, 6.00 and 6.25 mills.
Stiegelmeyer said the trustees, in doing so, “are only asking for the permission to ask the county auditor to help the township with what different millage amounts would generate for the police department.”
A 6.50-mill option failed to secure the necessary motions from the trustees for the resolution to be approved.
“Given the state of inflation and projected economic conditions in 2023, I don’t think asking for a tax increase of more than 1 point would be supported,” said Trustee John Morris.
Miami Twp. Police Department has 38 sworn positions and 5 non-sworn positions, according to the township. In 2021, the department responded to 26,996 calls for service.
The police department is funded by two tax levies. One is a 5.25-mill levy approved by voters in November 2018, which will continue through 2023. It generates just under $2.9 million a year for five years.
The other is a 5.5-mill levy approved by voters in May 2019, which continues through 2024. It generates nearly $3.4 million for five years.
Replacing the soon-to-expire police levy means asking voters to approve another tax after they did so in November for the Miami Valley Fire District.
“There is no correlation between the police department levy and fire department levy,” said township spokeswoman Jill Drury. “The timing is simply because current levies are expiring.”
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