Coventry Township trustees say they can’t afford essential services.
The Hudson library says it needs a raise to keep up with growing demand.
Those are among the area communities pitching their issues on the March 15 ballot.
Coventry Township
Coventry Township Trustee Ed Diebold, desperate to get local residents to understand how little they actually pay to support the running of the township, posted his own property tax bill online.
He pays $2,144 in taxes for half a year on his 1,500-square-foot property, but only $400 of it goes to Coventry Township.
“That’s $67 bucks a month. My cable bill is more than that. My cellphone is more than that. And that money covers roads, parks, EMS, fire, sheriff,” he said.
If the township fails to get a replacement levy passed this year, it’s likely that all five township parks will be closed and roads — with a budget so depleted that Diebold volunteered to help a two-man crew shovel asphalt into potholes last year — will fall further into disrepair.
Township voters are being asked to pass an issue that would renew an existing 0.95 mill levy while adding an additional 2.05 mills.
It would mean an additional $450,000 a year for the township, and cost homeowners about $8.40 more per month for each $100,000 home valuation.
Current budget challenges are no fault of the township, officials said.
The state has been reducing local government funds to all communities and eliminated the estate tax. Meanwhile, property valuations have never reached pre-recession numbers, and that means homes are generating less income.
Making things worse, the contract with the Summit County Sheriff’s Department to provide protection costs $400,000 more than the township’s police levy generates, so the difference comes out of the general budget.
“Basically, we’ve been deficit spending for a couple of years,” Diebold said. “We’re headed in the wrong direction.”
Trustees have tried to stay in the black by cutting services.
The township gave up its full-time mechanic and began farming out work as needed, saving $70,000 a year in wages and benefits. It saved an equal amount by reducing staff hours at the town hall; there is now only one full-time employee.
A third man had to be added to that two-man road crew, Diebold said, though a fourth is really needed. Currently, the township can only resurface 4-5 miles of its 52 miles of roadway each year.
But there is only so much that can be cut, Diebold said.
“I’m trying to reach people, but they are so busy with their lives, they’re not paying attention,” he said. “If we don’t get this passed, we’re not going to have a choice.”
Hudson Library
Financial challenges that have been hounding area libraries for several years as state support declines have caught up to the venerable Hudson Library and Historical Society.
One-third of the library’s budget comes from the state — and currently it’s the same amount the library was receiving a decade ago.
In the meantime, expenses have increased. And perhaps surprising to those who think the digital age is making brick-and-mortar institutions obsolete, the library’s popularity continues to grow.
In the past five years, circulation at the Hudson facility has jumped 40 percent. Computer use has leaped by 422 percent.
The library is also well known for its ambitious programing. From hosting speakers and musical performances to a variety of educational opportunities, the library attracts some 40,000 people to 1,500 events a year.
Programs reach all ages, from special youth activities to teaching technology to the city’s eldest residents.
“Grandparents who don’t know how to use their iPads are coming and say, ‘What do I do with it now?’ They come in and ask how to FaceTime their grandchildren,” Denise Gibson said.
When the library sees a need, she said, they move to fill it.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Gibson, vice president of the library board. “People are coming through the door constantly.”
The library’s current 2.3 mill operating levy — which accounts for two-thirds of the library budget — will expire at the end of the year.
Officials are asking to replace that with a 2.9 mill levy. That would give the library a $500,000 raise — from about $1.9 million a year to $2.4 million a year in local funds.
For every $100,000 in home valuation, that’s a tax increase of just under $2 a month.
Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paulaschleis.