Fairborn voters approved a 10-year income tax increase that will help pay for police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians with more than 60% voting in favor, according to the Greene County Board of Elections.
Issue 1 – a .5 income tax hike – will take effect Jan. 1, 2021 and generate about $4.8 million annually for the police and fire funds, City Manager Rob Anderson said.
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For someone making $50,000, that change would be an additional $20.83 per month. That adds up to an additional $250 every year for 10 years.
This will not only effect Fairborn residents, Anderson said. People who live elsewhere but work in Fairborn, like those who work for Wright State University, would be affected by the income tax increase.
If the levy did not pass, Anderson said the city will choose not to fill open positions initially. Layoffs would have be likely eventually.
In Montgomery County, Washington Twp. 67.5 % of voters supported a 2.3-mill, five-year replacement levy for police services.
The continuous levy would replace an expiring levy of the same value and provide a little more than half of the funding for Washington Twp.’s police services that are delivered through a contract with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
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Issue 8 will cost a homeowner would pay approximately $80.50 annually for every $100,000 of appraised tax value, an amount that is $6.25 more than 2019.
The replacement levy is expected to generate about $2.76 million per year, which is an increase of about $222,229 annually and will maintain the current level of police services, according to Township Administrator Jesse Lightle.
Trustees opted for a continuous levy because it provides a reliable funding source that enables the township to make decisions about revenue that are driven by township needs rather than a pre-set expiration date, said Trustee President Sharon Lowry.
West Carrollton voters favored Issue 5, a plan to hire more firefighters to avoid temporary equipment and station closings.
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The 3.9-mill, five-year issue would increase the taxes for owners of homes valued at $100,000 to about $136 a year, according to the city.
The levy is expected to generate about $672,000 per year to hire the full-time firefighters and retain the full-time staff hired last year, Fire Chief Chris Barnett said.
The city, which has traditionally relied mostly on part-time firefighters, has commonly lost staff to other jurisdictions in recent years.
That’s prompted an average of 1,653 service brownout hours – equal to nearly 69 days - annually in recent years, Barnett has said. Most of those brownouts have involved medic units, but they have also included entire stations, city records show.
Oakwood voters approved more money for Wright Memorial Public Library by passing a 1.5-mill property tax levy by a 2-1 margin.
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Issue 14 will generate $474,307 annually for the library and fund daily operations. It will also fund both long-term operations and essential repairs and improvements to the building, phased over time, and within the current footprint, officials said.
Wright library is ranked 19th in usage out of 1,251 libraries nationwide in usage, officials said.
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