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POLAND -- Township trustees met Monday evening to finalize and approve a tax levy totaling $358,000 to be put before voters in the March 19 primary election.
Trustees had only until Wednesday to meet the deadline for putting a levy on the ballot. All three trustees agreed they are keeping their promise to replace the old levies and not raise more tax dollars.
Ungaro said the March ballot will probably say "'additional," but he reassures taxpayers it will not bring in any new money. It will only replace what is being lost.
The confusion started Dec. 27, 2022, when the Ohio Department of Taxation sent a letter to the township regarding a 1978 levy for 1 mill. The letter stated the wording of the old levy read "current expenses" which meant it should have included Poland Village as well. The law the Ohio Department of Taxation referred to said current-expense levies cannot exclude incorporated areas such as the village. The correct language would have read for a specific item such as police or roads instead of current expenses. Poland Township was one of 47 townships in Ohio to have levies pulled by the state agency.
The Ohio Department of Taxation let the 1978 levy continue for 2023, but the state said it officially comes off on Dec. 31. That means the township will be losing approximately $230,000 for 2024 since a levy to replace that one didn't pass in November.
A second levy from 1981 was recommended by the Mahoning County Prosecutor's Office to be removed as well. The language was similar and the idea was to ensure that levy would not be removed by the state as well.
The two levies totaled $358,000. Trustees felt the two could be replaced by a new one for no new money. With that in mind, trustees placed a 0.98-mill levy on the November ballot. That levy was listed as "additional money" since it was not a renewal.
Trustee Eric Ungaro said it got a little tricky after that.
"Our original intent was to never raise more money, but to simply get back what we lost from what the state has taken from us," he said.
Trustees voted to place the 0.98-mill levy on the ballot to raise the $358,000, but because it was collecting in 2024, the new 2024 home values were used. Instead of bringing in $358,000 (under the 2023 home values), the levy now would bring in $481,612, which was $130,000 more than what was expected.
Voters turned down the levy 53% to 47%, according to results from the Mahoning County Board of Elections.
At last week's township meeting, trustees discussed what they wanted to do next year to replace the two levies in question. All agreed there was little time to get things rolling.
"We have to get on the ballot 90 days before an election," said Trustee Joanne Wollet. "I want to stick to no new money and pass a resolution for lower millage."
Like Ungaro, Wollet wanted to keep the original promise just to replace the 1978 and 1981 levies for the same amount.
Trustees took the first step by rescinding the 0.98-mill levy, so they could put a lower one on the ballot. Raising the original amount of $358,000, under the 2024 values, would require a 0.73-mill levy.
Trustee Ed Kempers asked about making up for the $230,000 loss by raising the millage to 0.82 mills to bring in an additional $40,000 over the next five years. He said in essence, it wouldn't be new money. The other trustees didn't seem interested and wanted to stick with the original plan, and Kempers agreed.
After a lot of discussion last week, the trustees decided to live with the $230,000 loss and go with the original intent to replace the actual amount of the loss of the two levies. They voted to put the 0.73-mill levy on the March 19, 2024, ballot.
That vote enabled the millage amount to be set. A second vote on Monday set the dollar amount for the levy.
Ungaro said the 1978 levy is gone at the end of this month. He said the 1981 levy will continue for now, but he promised a resolution would be passed to remove it, should the 0.73-mill levy pass in March.
"If this passes, we will take (the 1981 levy) off because it will no longer be needed," he said.