Pass Or Fail, Cleves Levy Issue Won't Raise Taxes

Issue 6 will be on the ballot for Village of Cleves voters on Tuesday, May 8.

(Cleves, Oh.) – Voters in the Village of Cleves will be asked if they’d like to maintain service levels.

But unlike many tax levies, voting for this one on the Tuesday, May 8 ballot won’t raise taxes.

Issue 6 is for the renewal of a 3.90 mill, five-year operating levy.  If passed, it will generate $205,281 annually to go toward the village’s operating budget. The figure is about a quarter of the village’s annual budget.

According to the village, the levy would continue to pay for daily operations including public safety, streets, parks and public facility maintenance, community development, recreation and administrative costs.

Regardless of whether the levy passes, village property owners’ taxes will go down. If it passes, the renewed levy will cost $20.25 less each year per $100,000 in home value compared to the original five-year levy passed in 2013.

“We have worked hard over the last 5 years to reduce costs while making solid improvements that will ensure the long-term stability of the Village of Cleves. Not all of this is visible to residents, but the behind the scenes changes have enabled us to work smarter and more efficiently, while continuing to be a good steward of tax payer dollars,” said Cleves mayor Jan Rouse.

Cleves village administrator Mike Rahall said Cleves’ property taxes are similar to neighboring communities, including Miami Township and North Bend. According to Rahall, after the renewal of the levy, property taxes for a $100,000 home in Cleves will be $2,120.19. Property taxes for that same house in the Village of North Bend costs $2,012.05 and $1,988.17 in Miami Township.

“We remain a solid value for the high-level of locally provided services that our residents receive,” said Rahall.

The Issue 6 levy cost for homeowners is $116.25 per year per $100,000 of home value.

The Village of Cleves has published a FAQ about the renewal levy at http://www.cleves.org/sites/default/files/Operating_Levy_Renewal_May_2018_FAQ.pdf.

Last November, Cleves voters passed a safety services levy to help prevent cuts at the Cleves Police Department. It was approved by a narrow margin, 302 votes to 295 votes.