By Chris Witeof
Record Herald Writer
Courtesy of the Weekly Record Herald; Printed October 28, 2011
MIAMI COUNTY – Among the issues and candidates on the ballot this year are three local levies that provide for their respective communities
in a variety of ways. The levies for Tipp-Monroe Community Services, Monroe Township Emergency Medical Services, and West Milton Police and Fire Safety are all renewals of existing taxes. Each levy, if renewed, will last for five years commencing in 2012 and will be first due in 2013.
Community Services
Tipp-Monroe Community Services (TMCS) offers over 200 programs. Whether or not residents know what TMCS does, they have most likely seen Community Services’s work. The Run for the Mums, the community wide garage sale, as well as the Halloween parade and costume judging contest are just a few examples of events TMCS organizes.
Also, TMCS runs ten social service programs funded entirely by donations. These include community relief, mobile meals, and holiday giving programs. Kathy Taylor, director of TMCS, points to the organization’s myriad benefits and longstanding service to the community.
“[TCMS] has been serving the community for 41 years and we’d like to do it for another 41,” she said.
The levy, first passed in 1977, is for .5 mill, meaning five cents for every $100 of valuation. It will account for around 45 percent of the TMCS budget. Taylor wants to remind voters that this issue is up to them. She recants the TMCS motto, “We can’t do it without you!”
Readers can visit www.tmcomservices.org or call 667-8631 for more information.
West Milton fire and police
Another levy up for renewal is to help sustain Milton Fire and Police. This levy, a half-percent income tax, generates approximately $250,000 a year. This helps offset the estimated annual cost of these services, which is around $800,000. The revenues are split between the police and fire operations and are apportioned on a yearly basis depending on need.
Ever since the levy passed ten years ago, the funds have allowed for replacement equipment within the fire division and helped meet the staffing
requirements of the police division. Ben Herron, interim city manager and fire captain for West Milton, believes the renewal to be necessary to keep these services alive and up to date.
“If the technology exists, but we cannot afford it and it costs additional loss of property or, even worse, loss of life, that would be tragic,” he said.
Herron also understands that money is tight all around, but he assures that, “during these tough times, if it was not essential to our budget, we would not ask for it.”
For more information, call Ben Herron at 698-1500, ext. 103.
Monroe Township EMS
The Monroe Township Emergency Medical Services (EMS) levy provides citizens living in the unincorporated areas of Monroe Township, about 6,118 people, with those services.
Philip G. Cox, a Monroe Township Trustee, urged that this levy is crucial for residents of the affected area.
He stressed that, if passed, the levy will add “no additional cost to taxpayers.”
The levy, passed in 2007, has a cost of 1.0 mill, or 10 cents for every $100 of valuation. It covers about 80 percent of the cost of EMS for unincorporated Monroe Township, which are run through a contract with Tipp City.
Cox believes the levy helps provide an important service.
“It’s a valuable service for Monroe Township residents and we appreciate their support,” he said.
CUTWe are living in times of economic stress and voters, as a necessity, are even more wary of taxes than usual. Voters should keep in mind, however, that these levies will continue to provide for their communities without increasing current taxes.
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