43
Mill Creek MetroParks board continues levy discussions
YOUNGSTOWN
The Mill Creek MetroParks Board of Park Commissioners continue to weigh several options for the levy it plans to put on the November ballot.
For several months, the board has been discussing options to replace the 15-year, 1.75-mill operating levy that generates about $6.5 million annually for the park system and which is based on 2001 property values.
Park Treasurer Kevin Smith again outlined the board’s options at a meeting Monday night.
They are a renewal; a 1.75-mill replacement; a 1.75-mill renewal with .25-mill additional; and a 2.0-mill replacement with additional.
An owner of a $100,000 home currently pays $50.24 in taxes each year for the park system. That would not change if commissioners choose to pursue, and voters approve, a renewal.
The second option, Smith said, would generate $6.9 million annually for the park, and would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $61.26 per year.
“That would get property values to be assessed at 2015 values,” he explained.
A 1.75-mill renewal with an additional.25-mills would generate $7.5 million per year, and would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $58.99 per year.
A 2.0-mill replacement with additional would generate $7.8 million annually and would cost the owner of a $100,000 about $70 per year.
A renewal would allow taxpayers to retain 12.5 percent in property-tax rollbacks; additional and replacement levy options don’t qualify for the rollback because the state has since ended it.
People attending the meeting weighed in on the levy proposal. One woman asked what the board would do with the additional funds.
“The cost is $10 million to run the park. A lot of it would go toward operating costs,” said board President Lou Schiavoni. The funds could also offset capital improvement costs that are not covered by grants, he said.
Another woman raised concerns with the expansion of the park system. Schiavoni defended the park system’s acquisition of spaces that can be beautified and incorporated into the park system.
Executive Director Aaron Young said he plans to present information to the board at the June meeting, at which time he will give his recommendation for which option the board should pursue.
The next meeting will take place at 6 p.m. June 8 at the Walter Stitt Pavilion.
In other business, the board approved the purchase of a property at 26 McKinley Ave. The property will be part of an expansion of Fellows Riverside Gardens that is being funded entirely by the Friends of Fellows Riverside Gardens, a nonprofit organization that supports the gardens.
The project will add a new entrance and parking lot, upgrade FRG’s growing facilities and expand the family garden.