What’s on the November ballot in Coshocton County? Property taxes

COSHOCTON – Property taxes are an important source of funding for many local agencies and government agencies. Residents will see several new fees, replacements and renewals when they vote on November 5th.

This comes in light of Coshocton County Auditor Grant Dougherty’s warnings about rising property taxes based on the increase property values and Current estimates of agricultural use. How this will affect the property tax in 2025 will not be known until after the general election, depending on which levies pass or fail.

There are three county-wide levies on the ballot: one reinstatement, one replacement and one new. There is also one resumption of school fees along with others from local villages and towns.

Coshocton County Job and Family Services is requesting a fee replacement

Coshocton County Job and Family Services is looking to replace its current $1 million levy on child care services over five years. This includes the care, protection and placement of abused, neglected and dependent children. The levy would raise about $811,000 a year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $35 a year. The current tax was first introduced in 1995 and is charged at the following values. The replacement will collect the current values.

Jed McCoy, the agency’s executive director, said the cost increase was largely based on inflation. The total cost of all children in foster care increased from $1.5 million in 2018 to approximately $2.5 million in 2024. The average monthly number of children in the system is about the same, from 45.83 in 2018 to 46.43 in 2024. the daily cost increased from $90.47 per day in 2018 to $148.50 per day in 2024.

McCoy said removing children from the home is always a last resort, but sometimes it has to be done. Drug and alcohol use, mental, physical or sexual abuse may be the main reason for the removal of children.

In addition to basic accommodation and food, the agency also provides general needs, such as new shoes and a backpack for school. It is also necessary to pay attention to the needs of physical and mental health. The agency has one child placed in Arkansas because of mental health issues and the inability to place her elsewhere.

“We are trying to provide them with treatment. We try to provide them with treatment. We’re trying to connect them to things that kids use every day that sometimes they can’t do because of their situation,” McCoy said of the youth in the system. “At the end of the day, we’re all about what’s in the best interest of the child. That’s what we want.”

The department receives state and federal funding, but must also secure local funding to raise those dollars. These costs are mandatory, and without sufficient funding from the Coshocton County Commission, the agency would be required by law to make up any shortfall in funding, which would result in cuts to other county services. What those cuts will be has yet to be decided.

“This collection goes beyond the financial implications because it shows support for children who have experienced trauma to some extent, sometimes through no fault of their own. Our community is showing that they continue to support these kids,” McCoy said. “Furthermore, the community is showing support by accepting this fee for the work our employees do every day. Our employees do not receive any monetary benefit from this fee. Wages and benefits are funded through entirely different funding streams. But voting to support this levy subconsciously supports the workers. He says that “the community is behind us.”

Coshocton County Emergency Medical Services is seeking $1 million over five years

Coshocton County Emergency Medical Services is seeking a new levy of $1 million over five years, which would raise about $811,000 a year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $35 a year. This would be for EMS, EMT or both. The previous attempt failed in spring primaries by 525 votes.

Since then, Director Todd Shroyer said they have allowed only minimal overtime and reduced crews from four to three at night. According to Shroyer, if the tax is not paid this time, there will be three crews working, which will increase the response time and it could be a matter of life and death.

He goes on to stress that such funding would not go toward the new building, which was financed through a combination of grants and bonds that make up a small amount of the total annual budget for the return.

The collection, first of all, will help with salaries, which is about 80% of the annual budget. Schroyer said it’s harder to attract and retain staff because fewer are joining the field and other EMS in the area can pay more. Schroyer said state funding models, the fact that they can’t bill without transportation and insurance like Medicaid, which pays pennies on the dollar, hurts their bottom lines.

“Our property taxes don’t count, so they don’t go up. When home values go up, the effective mill rate goes down, so it stays the same. My income from accounts is less today than it was 14 years ago. was a better system,” Shroyer said. “You can’t be in business and sell your products below cost over and over and over again. When you’re getting back only 30% of what it costs you, you’re going to be out of business pretty soon.”

Renewal Fee for Ohio State University Coshocton County Extension Office

The Ohio State University Coshocton County Extension Office is requesting a five-year 0.4 million levy renewal. That would bring in $267,000 a year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $11 a year.

The tax was first introduced in 2010 and has been renewed twice since then. It supports salaries and programs related to 4-H youth development, agriculture and natural resources, and other community and healthy living programs.

Last year, this included 1,700 interactions with youth through school-based enrichment programs, homebuyer counseling for 51 new homeowners, 29 Dine With Diabetes participants, 61 single parents, and 67 parents and teens involved in parent education, and 220 higher educational institutions. schoolchildren under the Real Money, Real World financial literacy program.

Emily Marrison, a local family and consumer affairs educator, said their funding is made up of federal, state and local dollars, with about 60 percent coming from the local level.

“All three are necessary, so if local funding is lost, we will not be eligible for federal and state funding,” Marrison said, which would likely result in program and staff cuts.

River View Local Schools is asking voters to renew the levy

River View Local Schools is seeking a five-year, 1.8-mill upgrade for ongoing improvements and will raise about $409,000 annually, according to the Coshocton County Auditor’s Office. It will cost the owner of a house worth $100,000 $25 per year.

The fee was first adopted in 1995 and has since been updated six times. It is used for maintenance and capital improvements to buildings and grounds, transportation and technology.

Superintendent Chuck Rinkes said a specific example is the purchase of buses, which can cost up to $124,000. Five have been ordered, and two will be delivered by Christmas. Rinkes said the delivery is due to backups following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also related to the pandemic was the need to become an individual district, connecting students with their own Chromebooks. Then reconfiguration of the district due to the closure of the two original buildings, other buildings have been renovated to create additional classrooms and other facilities.

All of that comes from the levy, and Rinkes said without it, there would be an even greater strain on an already stretched general fund.

“We spend it all almost every year,” Rinkes said of the levy money. “Taking that money out of the general fund would obviously put a strain on that even from where we are now.”

Other meetings on the ballot in Coshocton County

● The Village of Nellie is seeking a new levy of 7.5 million over five years, which will generate approximately $14,000 annually for garbage collection. It will cost the owner of a house worth $100,000 $264 per year.

● Franklin Township is seeking a new fee of $2.2 million over five years for garbage collection. This would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $78 per year and generate $140,000 per year.

● New Castle Township is requesting a new levy of $2 million over five years for general construction, reconstruction, resurfacing and repair of streets, roads and bridges. This would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $71 per year and generate $25,000 per year.

● The Village of Warsaw is looking for two renewals. One for 1.5 mill is for road work and brings in about $11,000 a year, and the other for 2.5 mills is for current expenses and brings in about $18,000 a year. The village is also asking voters to consider electricity aggregation.

● The Village of West Lafayette is seeking a renewal of the 3-mill general operating expense tax, which brings in $65,000 a year. The village is also asking voters whether to enter into negotiations and tenders for garbage collection services.

Townships seeking renewals include: ● Keene for $3 million for road work ● Bedford for $1 million for operating costs ● Bethlehem for $1 million for operating costs ● Virginia for $1 million for fire protection ● Pike for 0.75 – mills for fire protection and .5-mills for maintenance and operation of cemeteries.