“We would like to thank our voters for expressing their wishes and trusting the staff to continue improving infrastructure in our city,” Deputy City Manager Stephanie Kellum said late Tuesday night.
Collection of the additional income tax would begin in 2023.
“This will give us the resources needed to begin a more aggressive paving program beginning in 2024,” she said.
The tax request in Trotwood, which will generate around $1 million per year in additional revenue for the city, was first placed on the ballot in May and was narrowly rejected in that election, with 51.8% of voters saying no.
The tax will be imposed for a period of five years, and for someone with $50,000 in taxable income per year, the levy will cost an extra $250 annually. The tax will apply to the earned income of those working within the city of Trotwood, including nonresidents who commute to the city for work.
Trotwood’s current local income tax rate is 2.25%, which generated roughly $5.2 million in 2021, Kellum said.
An increase to 2.75%, and the resulting addition of $1 million in revenue per year, will allow the city to pave about 5.4 lane miles of road each year, city officials say, though Kellum noted the exact amount will vary depending on the price of asphalt and road conditions.
The city will use the additional income tax revenue to improve streets and infrastructure, specifically within residential neighborhoods.
According to Kellum, the city conducted a Pavement Condition Rating (PCR) study in 2017, which found that nearly 280 of Trotwood’s 411 total lane miles of roads fall under the category of “poor to fair.” Kellum said another PCR study will be completed within the next year or two and will give a more updated status of road conditions.
“Any roads on that (poor to fair) list can meet the definition of ‘priority,’ but budget (will) determine which roads we could get to in any given year,” she said.
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