On May 15, 2023, the Perry Township Board of Trustees announced their intention to include two Road and Bridge renewal levies on the November 7, 2023, ballot for voter consideration. This action is intended to ensure that property taxes paid by home and business owners will not increase.

The first Road & Bridge levy will expire at the end of this year, December 31, 2023. If the renewal is approved by voters, the Township will receive the revenue during the 2024 year. The second levy expires on December 31, 2024. If the measure passes, tax payments collected in 2024 will be included in the Road Department’s 2024 annual budget. The decision to place both levies on the 2023 ballot, rather than consecutive years, was made to eliminate confusion and streamline the voting process. 

The Board elected to propose a renewal of the current levies versus combining and creating a new levy for the following reasons:

1. A renewal levy allows the taxing district to keep a current levy on the books while collecting the same amount of money as when the original levy was voted on. Therefore, upcoming property value assessments will not trigger a tax increase.

2. The State of Ohio continues to pay townships for the portion of the taxes that are either “rolled back” or exempted under the renewal option—taking a portion of the burden off taxpayers.

By law, tax revenue from the Road & Bridge levies must be used for the general construction, reconstruction, resurfacing, and repair of streets, roads, and bridges. The Franklin County Auditor estimates that each proposed renewal levy will collect $248,000 annually for a total of $496,000 each year, over a 5-year period. The cost to a homeowner amounts to $37.00 per levy for each $100,000 of the County Auditor’s appraised value.

The auditor of State advises a best practice is to have the Board of Trustees also pass a resolution stating which services will be discontinued should the levies not be approved. This and other levy related resolutions and information can be below.

Election day is November 7, 2023, with early and absentee voting beginning on October 11, 2023

Perry Township Spokesperson:
Chet Chaney
Cchaney@perrytwp.org
(614) 889-2669