MADISON TOWNSHIP — There will be no property tax increase on the May primary ballot in Madison Township.
Instead, an issue may be placed on the November general election ballot, after trustees dig deeper into township finances, including potential capital improvement needs.
That was the consensus Thursday evening among the three trustees who lead the 11,106 township residents — Cathy Swank, Tom Craft and Jim Houser.
A potential 2.5-mill levy, which was discussed during Tuesday’s regular meeting, was the focus of a special meeting roughly 48 hours later.
Board chair Cathy Swank had proposed the ballot issue, aimed at improving township finances and perhaps help it emerge from a decade-long state fiscal caution period.
A three-year financial forecast by the state auditor’s office has said Madison Township will see deficit spending in next three years if no actions are taken.
During a wide-ranging discussion, Swank raised various possibilities, including a levy that would generate two mills for the township road fund ($260,000) and a half mill for the general fund ($65,000).
Trustee Tom Craft, who took office 18 days ago after November’s election, told Swank he was not yet ready to vote on a tax increase request.
“I’ve been on this board for 18 days, okay? I have seen no numbers of what you want to spend two and a half (mills) on and what it’s going to do,” said Craft, who was previously on the township board for eight years.
“Looking at the finances, I know we need to do something. But I’m sorry, Cathy, I am a numbers guy. I can’t just arbitrarily pull it out of my you-know-what, that I want a levy for you-know-what not knowing what you- know-what,” Craft said.
Craft said there simply was no clear plan yet for exactly how much additional revenue was needed and a detailed plan for how the money would be spent.
“My whole point is if you had laid in front of me a sheet, Cathy, that this 2.5 mill levy is going to go this, this and this. And this is what we project. And right now, if we don’t do anything, our projected deficit is this. So this levy is going to take this,” he said.
“I’m trying to be proactive. Like I said, I’ve been on this job for 18 days. Yes, I had eight years before, but we brought the township from a big negative to where we were starting to cross the river. And now we’re drowning in the river,” Craft said.
Near the end of the discussion, Swank said she had decided against proposing a May ballot issue, which would have to be approved and sent to the county Board of Elections by Feb. 2.
“We are going to have to have some special meetings to talk about this and look at the budget,” Swank said. “I don’t think it should be done during a regular meeting because it’s gonna take some time.”
A more pressing issue is that township fiscal officer Leanna Rhodes must prepare an updated financial forecast to the state auditor’s office by Feb. 3.
“I need someone to sit with me for a few hours one day and make sure what I have on that plan (is what trustees want),” Rhodes said, including potential revisions to the capital expenditure plan.
Craft said he would sit down with Rhodes to go over the financial plan before she submits it to the auditor’s office.
Also on Thursday, trustees continued to discuss the potential purchase of a used 2012 John Deere boom mower/tractor from the Ohio Dept. of Transportation for $70,00 to $75,000.
Craft, who said he had been told the equipment is in “pristine condition” and only has 2,100 operating hours, is worth considering since it’s about $100,000 cheaper than a new version.
Trustees agreed to have road supervisor Jimmy Baker look at the tractor and then they would make a decision.
