MADISON TOWNSHIP — Madison Township trustees approved a fire department replacement levy for general election ballots this November.
Trustees discussed a replacement levy, last passed in 2000, in April. They approved a motion to put a replacement on the ballot, meaning the current 5.5-mill continuous levy would collect funds at current home appraisal values if passed.
Fire Chief Ken Justus said the levy currently collects around $680,000 annually, which is the same amount it has been collecting for about 24 years. The continuous levy collects funds from home appraisal values from 2000.
Justus said at 2024’s appraisal values, the levy could bring in $380,000 additional funds. The levy funds contribute to payroll, building utilities and maintaining the fire department.
The fire department’s total appropriations from the 2024 budget are about $2 million. A replacement levy could supplement up to half of those costs annually.
“It’s a continuous replacing a continuous,” Jutus said. “If this one fails, the old one stays in place. And if the new one passes, it replaces the old one starting in 2025.”
The levy would collect about $193 per $100,000 of property value annually if passed — an $82 increase from current taxes.
Justus said the auditor’s office told him the levy is collecting about 3.17 mills in today’s property values, which translates to about $111 per $100,000 of property value.
Annfield Drive resident worries about drainage tile
Jody Krumlaw, who lives on Annfield Drive in the township, told trustees about a drainage collection tile near her home during public commentary.
“There’s a sewer pipe that is plugged right in front of my house and down around the corner,” she said. “I have spoken with the Health Department about it and the EPA regarding the blockage … I’ve spoken with the neighbor, he’s refusing to fix the pipe that is on his property.
“I need guidance from you guys. Somebody has to take responsibility for that pipe.”
Krumlaw said the collection tile has looked the same for at least a year and a half. She said she took a water sample from it and sent it to Alloway Environmental Testing to test for fecal contamination, which she expects results from this week.
Trustee Tom Craft has spoken with Krumlaw on the phone about the issue and said at Monday’s meeting that the collection tile shouldn’t have fecal matter in it if it’s working properly.
“I know it’s on private property and it’s not a sewer,” Craft said. “If one of those leach beds dumped into that, then you’d get dirty water.”
Krumlaw said the water rises to about three inches from the top of the manhole cover when it rains. It hasn’t drained onto her property before.
According to the Ohio Revised Code, township trustees may repair sewage collection tiles within the road’s right-of-way for projects under $200. If repairs cost more than $200, trustees may assess the costs against a property for benefits the owner receives from the repair.
Craft said because the tile is on private property, he doesn’t think the township has jurisdiction over the issue.
“I would suggest getting legal advice,” he said. “If you cannot solve a dispute, the next thing is to go to the civil courts.”
Also in Monday’s meeting:
- Trustee Dan Fletcher said he has a list of streets for a chip-and-seal road program of about 4 miles total among Trimble, Poth, Ridge, Hanna and Hahn roads, as well as Hickory Lane and Walker Avenue. He said he expects costs to be around $100,000 for chipseal.
- Trustee Jim Houser said the township Zoning Commission chairman Keith Carrocci died earlier this month. “He’s going to be greatly missed,” the trustee said. Any township resident interested in serving on the zoning commission can contact Houser at jhouser@madisontwp.us. Zoning commission members are paid $20 for each monthly meeting they attend. Houser said he hopes to make an appointment at the township’s June 3 meeting.
- Zoning inspector Paul Smith said he returned to a Ridge Road address with long grass and trash in the yard after Tom Brandt asked about the case. Trustees said they plan to consider a resolution to clean up the property and assess the costs to the property owner.
- Fiscal officer Leanna Rhodes read correspondence from the Madison branch of the Mansfield-Richland County Public Library informing residents of the main library’s electronics recycling drive and low-cost, high-speed internet pop-up shop on June 1. Registration for the PCs for People workshop is recommended in advance.
- Trustees went into an executive session to discuss seasonal road department hires for the summer.