LAKE TOWNSHIP — Lake Township voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to renew a 1.5-mill tax levy that helps pay for road maintenance and snow removal.
The five-year renewal would continue existing taxes rather than add a new levy. If approved, it is expected to generate $21,000 annually, according to the Ashland County Board of Elections.
The levy would cost property owners $24 annually for every $100,000 in market value.
Historical election records show Lake Township voters approved a five-year renewal of the road and bridge levy in 2012. The current proposal would continue the 1.5-mill levy for another five years.
Lake Township Fiscal Officer John Veney said the funding helps the township maintain its roads and keep them passable, particularly during the winter.
“The reality is, we are a very small township,” Veney said. “We raise very few funds, and they get used exclusively for keeping the roads passable, keeping them up and running.”
What does the levy fund?
The road levy pays for snow removal, road salt and maintenance, including chip-and-seal work. The township treats about one-third of its roads each year, Veney said.
The largest road-related expenditure for the township is chip-and-seal work.
“We spend about $90,000 a year just to do that,” Veney said.
The township uses competitive bidding to obtain the work at the lowest cost, he said. The levy alone does not generate enough money to cover the annual chip-and-seal expense.
The township also receives state funding from gasoline and vehicle registration taxes. However, Veney said that money does not replace the revenue provided by the levy.
What happens if the levy fails?
Without the levy, Lake Township would have to reduce road maintenance or cut back on snow removal and road salt purchases.
“We would have to reduce the frequency for which we redo roads, or we’d have to let it snowpile up more or not buy more salt,” Veney said.
The cost of maintaining roads continues to rise. Veney said the price of road salt increased from $60 to $100 per ton this year, while levy revenue has remained the same.
“Imagine if we didn’t have that levy, what we’d have to cut,” Veney said.
Despite those rising costs, the township is asking voters to continue the existing levy rathethan approve additional taxes.
“It’s just a renewal,” Veney said. “We’re just hoping they’ll keep giving us the money they’ve been giving us.”
Lake Township voters will decide on the levy during the Nov. 3 general election.
