Madison Township fire replacement levy headed for November ballot

Madison Township residents will be asked in November to approve a tax levy that officials say will keep the township fire department operating in the future.

Township trustees voted unanimously at their regular meeting Monday to approve a resolution of necessity asking the county auditor to certify the amount of money that would be raised by a replacement for the current 5.5 mill continuing fire operating levy.

The current levy was first approved in 2000 and raises around $680,000 to $700,000 to help pay for fire department general operating expenses.

The actual collection rate for the levy has been reduced over the years to 3.1 mills because state law says local governments or schools cannot collect any more revenue than a property tax levy generates in its first year of collection or replacement, other than taxes on new construction. Replacing the levy would bring it back to its original 5.5 mill collection rate, which would generate additional revenue.

Madison Fire Chief Ken Justus said the department continues to experience higher operating costs.

“We’re at the point where this is being recommended by the state of Ohio in some of our fiscal caution meetings in order to ensure that we stay in the black in our fire funds,” Justus said.

Madison Township has been under a fiscal caution designation by the state since May 2012 based on four conditions that included failure to meet a 90-day deadline to restore financial records that were declared unauditable in January 2012 but were later audited without problems. Regional representatives of the state auditor’s office also have recommended that Madison trustees put some type of levy on the ballot to avoid deficit spending in the general fund and/or cover expenses in the road department.

Justus pointed out that if the new levy request passes, the old levy ends and the new one begins. If it does not pass, the current levy remains in effect.

Summer chip and seal paving plans discussed

During administrative reports, Trustee Dan Fletcher told the board he put together a tentative plan for a chip and seal pavement restoration program this coming summer that would include Trimble, Poth, Hanna and Pond Roads, Ridge Road between Ohio 430 and Bonnie Drive and Hickory Lane between Ohio 39 and Ford Road.

“It’s about four and a third miles and could run north of $100,000,” he said.

Fletcher also said he will look into past complaints from residents that the new aggregate did not adhere to the old road surface in several past chip and seal projects.

“My sources are telling me that it’s the emulsion, and I’m going to ask Adam (Gove) whether we can change the emulsion to use a different product,” he said, adding that he could have a formal proposal ready for the board’s first regular meeting in June.

Trustees voted earlier in May to advertise for bids for a summer paving program that would put new asphalt on 14 roads at an estimated cost of nearly $350,000.

More: Madison Township seeking bids for summer paving program

Trustee Jim Houser asked why Brace Avenue was not on the chip and seal list to try to resolve complaints by residents that the road has deteriorated because of dump trucks and other large vehicles coming and going from the township road department garage.

“Tar and chip will do nothing to that road. That road is a Bowman Street or Madison Road project,” said Board Chairman Tom Craft.

Both Bowman Street and Madison Road have undergone major reconstruction in recent years.

Trustees also reviewed several requests to vacate rights-of-way for several roads that never have been developed and said they would have Richland County Regional Planning look at the requests before asking the county commissioners to consider vacating them.

They also received a complaint from the owner of a scrap metal business that closing Reformatory Road for InkCarceration would cut off access to his property and hurt operations, and told an Annfield Drive woman they have no jurisdiction over a problem she is having with a septic system outflow collection tile because it is on private property.

Madison trustees also accepted the resignation of part-time firefighter Luke Hammon, who was hired full time in Ashland, and are seeking applications from township residents to fill a vacancy on the township zoning board created by the recent death of board Chairman Keith Carrocci.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Madison Township trustees to ask voters to OK fire replacement levy