“I am very grateful for the voters in the Dayton Metro Library service area who voted to approve our operating levy. This levy will enable us to continue providing critical services to children, seniors, and families. Last year, we saw a record-setting number of items circulated- about 7 million items,” said Dayton Metro Library Executive Director Jeffrey Trzeciak.
“The Dayton Metro Library serves residents of every age, background, and way of life. I’m proud that voters found our services valuable and worthwhile to continue investing in. All of us at DML are grateful for the opportunity to serve our community.”
Those same unofficial final results had the Five Rivers MetroParks tax levy well in front, with 62% in favor and 38% against.
MetroParks will use the money to address “basic amenities that are lacking,” Hesser said, particularly at Island, Riverscape, and Eastwood MetroParks, targeting playgrounds and restrooms in need of repair.
“After we get over the exuberance, we will be evaluating, certainly, the long list of things we know we need to take care of, and identify our priorities for our 2025 budget,” said MetroParks CEO Karen Hesser.
“I’m grateful for the voters’ support,” said MetroParks Commission President Karen Davis. “They’ve consistently been good about supporting the things that matter to them, which is maintaining high quality parks and conservation. I would greatly appreciate being able to say thank you to them for the support of those things.”
Dayton Metro Library levy
The Dayton Metro Library asked voters to pass its levy request to transform day-to-day operational funding, as the library organization has operated at an annual deficit in most recent years.
The proposed tax is 1 mill for five years and will cost a homeowner $35 annually per $100,000 of home value, according to the county auditor.
The Dayton Metro Library has completely transformed its facilities over the past decade, rebuilding almost all of its libraries thanks to voter approval of tax funding in 2012.
The library has made budget cuts this year in areas ranging from operating hours to delaying IT projects and not replacing furniture. The library has instituted a partial hiring freeze, program cuts, and reductions in the materials budget, Executive Director Jeffrey Trzeciak said, but those changes have not been significant enough to put the library in the black.
If the levy did not pass, library officials said they would have reduced their budget by $7 million, or approximately 20%.
Everyone in Montgomery County was eligible to vote on the levy, except those in Oakwood, Centerville/Washington Twp., and Germantown, as those communities have separate library systems.
MetroParks levy
Five Rivers MetroParks asked Montgomery County voters to approve a new tax levy to address a backlog of tens of millions of dollars in deferred maintenance needs, with officials warning that major budget and program cuts could be in store without new funding.
Voters voted to approve Issue 35, which is a 1-mill, 10-year property tax levy that would generate more than $14 million annually for the 61-year-old park system.
MetroParks officials say the organization has $58 million in deferred maintenance needs and projects that this new funding will help take care of.
County residents currently pay one MetroParks levy. It has existed for years, most recently passing as a replacement levy in 2018. It costs the owner of a $100,000 home about $45.75 per year and generates about $19.2 million per year. The new levy would be in addition to that funding.
About 87% of MetroParks’ $22 million annual operating budget comes from its existing tax levy. Donations, local government funds, grants, user fees and more cover the remaining 13%.
More than 300,000 Montgomery County residents visit the MetroParks at least a few times each year, according to the agency.
Five Rivers MetroParks has 18 parks, 11 conservation areas and protects about 15,800 acres of land, most of it in its original state, Tschirhart said.
Hesser said if the levy is approved, visitors will see a noticeable, positive change in local parks.
She said a play area at Eastwood MetroPark will be restored; restrooms at Possum Creek MetroPark and Taylorsville MetroPark will be replaced; paved walking and cycling trails at Island MetroPark will be resurfaced; and improvements will be made to RiverScape and the Buckeye Trail through Taylorsville MetroPark.
Charter issues on the ballot
Voters in the cities of Riverside, Centerville, Beavercreek, and Huber Heights were asked to consider changes to their city charters as part of the November election.
Riverside voters are considering whether or not to allow non-residents who work in Riverside to join the city’s planning commission and BZA, notification posting requirements in alignment with new state law, reducing the number of seats on the charter review commission, and other small administrative changes.
Unofficial final results show all of Riverside’s charter amendments appear to be passing, per the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
Centerville voters are deciding on 23 changes to the charter under a single vote, many of them slight modifications to reflect state law changes or clarifications. Other changes include reducing the percentage of electors signatures needed for a petition to recall someone from office from 25% to 10%, changing residency requirements of the city manager, and requiring council to hold an annual general codification of resolutions and ordinances.
The Centerville charter amendments were passing with 52% in favor and 47% against.
Huber Heights has five proposed amendments, including preventing a sitting council member or mayor from filing petitions to run for mayor or another council seat unless they are in the last year of their term, changing the mayor’s role to a voting member of council with the authority to veto council decisions, changes to public notice requirements, city manager residency requirements, and a stipulation that a board, council, or commission member may be removed if they have three or more unexcused meeting absences.
All of the Huber Heights’ charter amendments appeared to have passed, according to unofficial final results.
Beavercreek residents voted on two city charter changes. The first would change term limits for city council members and the mayor. The second ballot measure bundles together several charter amendments, including adjustments to public meeting notifications, publication requirements for city documents, and administrative procedures.
Voters appeared to be rejecting the term limit charter amendment, with 69% opposed, and 31% in favor, and the other charter amendments are passing with 66% in favor.
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