Board of Trustees - Regular Meeting

We have a public hearing tonight. I move that we open the public hearing to discuss the resolution to levy an additional motor vehicle license tax authorized by ORC section 4504.181 to provide additional revenue for the purpose of roadway maintenance. Can I get a second?

I'll second.

Any discussion?

Mr. Cole?

Aye. Mr. Barrett? Aye. The public hearing is now open. The following will be the order in which this hearing will proceed. Mr. Schleicher will give a presentation on the proposed additional motor vehicle license tax. All proponents and opponents will get a chance to speak. A time limit of five minutes will be placed on each speaker. Please state your name and address for the record. The board will close the public hearing. The board will now hear from Mr. Schleicher. Mr. Schleicher, have all the legal requirements for this hearing been met?

Yes, they have.

I'm going to do the presentation.

All right, good evening board. I just want to review the proposal for the night. Under Ohio revised code. Local government is allowed to include an annual tax with vehicle registration. Maximum allowable taxes $30 of that $30 goes to the county. Local governments such as Miami Township may enact a total of $10. The historical value of this is in 2017, we did enact the $5 allocation, and then it was shortly thereafter, around 2020, the state of Ohio revised the law and added for local governments to enact an additional $5. It's been six years since that legislation has happened. We needed time to assess and see where we were before just initiating an additional tax on our community. The estimated revenue for this additional $5 through the Ohio Department of Public Safety is around $134,000 additional revenue that we would collect. How these funds are kind of expelled. They have specific restrictions under the Ohio revised code that are specifically to improvement and maintenance of township roads and bridges, traffic signs and signals, along with equipment specifically related to road and storm maintenance. Board I want to provide a snapshot of what our 2026 budget is in this line. Use as you can see 40% of it goes to rock salt. 35% does go to resurfacing we have a little bit incurred equipment lease and then a small amount goes to road supplies that includes purchasing a catch basin or storm tile or some of our cold patching that we utilize in the wintertime for potholes. And why should we enact this additional $5? Well, under ODOT's design standards, the recommended service life for a road in a residential community such as ours is around 20 years. Many of our roads are kind of beyond that life cycle. And there's data and various points that could dictate the service life of a road that includes average daily traffic counts and other variables. This picture that you see before you is Queensway. It's listed in serious condition with a pavement condition rating of 25. It was last overlaid in 1999. So I would like to note that we initiated in 2024 using LIDAR and radar technology and a sensor. to scan our entire township so that way we have solid data on that pcr the payment condition rating and help steer and guide us on where we need to allocate our money and resources so this road is 27 years old but it got paved today so also it will help keep up with inflation in 2016-17 when we first enacted that five dollars uh we were at we were right around 65 dollars a ton for asphalt and as of this year we're just under 95 dollars a ton of for asphalt So a few other items that should be considered is it would provide additional support for stormwater repairs associated with aged infrastructure. We would be less reliant on property taxes, and this would be a fixed fee that cannot be increased. Again, this is just an additional $5 on annual vehicle registration. I did want to point out what this tax cannot be used for again I mentioned has specific restrictions. It cannot be used on personnel salaries and our road department has not had staffing increase never 20 years. But what we have had is additional public Lane miles added to our system. We've had a lot of residential we've had some residential developments added to our system along with commercial road miles so I just want to point that out it cannot go toward other township departments and it cannot be used for other related matters that don't pertain to the improvement or maintenance of township roads. And lastly board. Just want to review out of the 9 other townships in Montgomery County. 4 of them have enacted the full amount which is the the full $10. The other townships have enacted the $5 provision and then as you can see majority of the cities in Montgomery County have taken part of that full allocation. So with that presentation board just wanted to open up for any questions by you on the a $5 proposal to increase annual vehicle registration.

The Department of Public safety per estimates an additional $134,000 that we can you use for infrastructure maintenance.

which is what when you actually put it on the road.

Yes, that that goes specifically to resurfacing. You know, some of our developments were put in place in 1950.

And then yeah, but what's the length of the paving? Like what do you what are you getting for another $134,000?

So the average to pave a mile of road in today's cost is around 250,000. So we're paving just shy of an additional three quarters of a mile. Also, we need to start looking at ADA compliance on curb ramps, storm infrastructure, stuff like that. So in the grand scheme of things, it's not a huge ask, but it should help us do some additional work and support our community's needs.

I want that you may mention that that what's the rotation on our street pavement right now what's the duration that we are looking at.

As of today that the roads that were being paid today. 27 years in the life cycle and that road that specifically is on your screen has a thoroughfare to multiple call the sacks off of it so it has higher. Daily traffic counts then let's say called a factor other areas.

OK, so we're on a 27 year repaving plan right now. Is that what you're saying?

If not more, we have streets down in Huber that we're looking at for next year that are over 30 years old.

OK, but our our Our intention is to be, for the most part, to meet the expected life of these roads, and that is 20 years. That's 20 years. So we're not going to meet that.

ODOT's design standard for urban roadways is 20 years. So we're just trying to close the gap and bring that down.

And what were we at when we passed that first fee? Do you know what kind of timeline we were at?

At the timeline, the structure of what we did involved, it was a type of preventive maintenance, but it was to extend roads 30 years. We were doing chip seal and sammy seal and stuff like that. It's more of an aggregate top to try and extend it into the 30s. Now, because of some of those plans back then, we're trying to play catch up on our resurfacing. I hope that answered your question.

Yeah, it does. I mean, we've gone from 30-some years to

27 ish. We're going from 30 to 35 down to 27 to 3025 to 30. And now we're trying to get to that 25 or below on our resurfacing program.

Okay. How many miles are we currently doing per year?

That varies. We did have some support the past few years through some American Rescue Plan funds and some grant funding. And with collaboration on Miamisburg, we have more tonnage between the two communities. So that has driven down costs. But on average, we're about two and a half, two to two and a half miles a year. And like I said, our roadway network is around 92 lane miles.

And it may have splashed up here briefly that we're does your revenue come from for road resurfacing.

Majority of our road resurfacing comes from gas tax license tax and this vehicle registration tax.

All right the board now here from any proponents. and it will now hear from any proponents people in favor of saving the rest spending sure well come on coming up to the stand Please state your name and address.

Yes, I will. I'm just inquisitive. My name is Cyril Horvath. I live at 2579 Clifty Falls Road. It's called The Road, but it runs for about a block and a half. So it doesn't take up much of your mileage routine. So I'm just looking at some of the numbers. I'm trying to digest some of the numbers that you're bringing up. And you see this. You got $134,000 coming in from this $5 per vehicle. So that means you've got already $134,000 on the other $5, right? So that's 268K, and it costs you 250K a mile. So even at the $10, you're covering just over one mile, but you're only doing about two to two and a half miles per year. But then you get gas tax, a portion of what the state gas tax, is that what it is? That's correct. So how much of the state gas tax do you get?

I don't have that number right in front of me, but I could definitely get back to you on that.

Okay, and then what do you get on the license tax?

I want to say one of the revenue sources is around 50,000 a year. 50K?

yeah and i can't remember if that's the gas or the other tax and then um we're a few hundred thousand on the other one but i can get you that specific information okay i appreciate that absolutely i'll give you my phone number my uh whatever you need um you talked about new roads and developments and i live down in a place called singing hills if you know what singing hills is uh and i've noticed Across from the Arboretum, up from where the traffic light is, you've got a new development that opened up just north of where the traffic light is. And I've never been back there, but you've got to put in new streets for that. So how is all that paid for?

That is paid for out of the developer upon the time of developing the plat. That's all on the developer, but we're out there to make sure it meets the design standards of Miami Township.

Okay. So that the developers responsible for putting a road in per your standards, whatever those may be. But now you're required to maintain that.

That's because it was dedicated as public right away and it becomes a service that we provide. But those 82 homes, they contribute to property taxes.

So OK, so you got so you got gas tax, license tax, you have property tax also that covers Your street maintenance? Mm-hm. Okay, you didn't mention that before and I didn't have that down here. All right. One other question I had, you mentioned Miamisburg. And a number of years ago, I had a conversation with Dick Church when he was mayor at Miamisburg. And I was seeing where he was telling the Miamisburg residents to get out and vote on a Miami township. or some kind of vote that was taking place. So I call him and I says, what's Miamisburg people doing voting on a Miami Township legislation? He goes, well, Miamisburg is part of Miami Township. Is that true for your $5 per vehicle? Does it include the citizens of Miamisburg?

It does not include. When you go to register your vehicle, you would indicate that you live in Miami Township. The $5 is just from people living in the township. Miamisburg would get its own separate $5 for their residence.

Well, that's what I always thought is that Miamisburg was separate and devoid from Miami Township. But per the conversation I had with Dick Church, this is many years ago, and he's been passed for a number of years, and this is back when he was mayor, he's telling his residents of Miamisburg to go vote on the Miami Township ballot?

It depends on the topic. Miamisburg is part of Miami Township. There are certain certain levies, certain topics, though, that Miamisburg residents can vote on and certain items they cannot vote on. Again, that That's all under state law. It just depends on the issue or the topic. It is a little confusing.

There's all kinds of gray matter we're talking about here. I understand.

It is a little confusing, but there are separate funds in most cases between the township, the unincorporated portion of the township, and the incorporated portion of Miamisburg. So what about the $5 per vehicle? Does it apply to Miamisburg? No. Why wouldn't it? Because we're in that gray matter. For this purpose, the state has separated those entities out so that Miamisburg would have to enact its own $5 if they wanted to collect that $5.

Okay.

But the funds would only be utilized in the unincorporated portion of the township for the roads within the unincorporated portion of Miami Township.

Well, that's what I'm trying to get at. I never understood that conversation I had with Dick Church many years ago about how they can be both. But he swore they are both, and he's telling his people to vote on this issue. OK, thanks for answering questions.

yeah and sir i just might want to elaborate why i brought up miamisburg is because we had an opportunity to joint partner in the resurfacing program uh the more tonnage that two communities have together drives down cost right but it's totally separated our our funds stay in the township their funds stay in the city it's just a chance to collaborate work together to drive down costs for both communities all right well thank you thank you

The board will now hear from any opponents.

Doug Kramer, 77 80 lowest circle. My question is several years ago before this went before this tax was introduced, it was put on the ballot for us to vote on. None of you guys were in on this. we voted that down the the people of the community voted it down and said no a few months later or whatever it was they kind of like backdoored it in and got it voted on by you five guys voting for it and okayed it even though we told you no we don't want it And what I understood was the only way that people would have known about that you guys were going to vote on that tax was you were going to put it in a newspaper for 30 days and people would see it. That would be our notice. Who buys a newspaper anymore? I don't know. But I just feel like that this tax, when it was first put on us, was backdoored in because you guys voted it in even though the people of the township said no. My question is, why can't it go on the ballot again? Look how many people just showed up today that don't know what's going on. Don't it have to go on the ballot again? this that that was a separate that was a different tax is my understanding that was a road and bridge levy that was an actual property tax levy that went on the ballot no that was a license tax that went on here to where you added that tax that we voted and said no to you added it on our license that's the way i understood it when it happened

the the the levy for road and bridge that was put on the ballot and it was voted down was for road and bridge property tax that was a levy this is not a levy on your property taxes it's it's a different type of revenue and what it is specifically do you remember what year that was that was prior to i think 2017 maybe i thought it was prior to that but because a couple of years prior none of you guys were here i can tell you that right now none of you I don't recall.

The Drew guy there, his dad, I believe it was his dad, he was here, but none of you guys were here then. That's when it went on questioning for the township, the Mad River Apartments, for them to paint their thing, the ungodly colors that they painted. That was an issue then, so I don't know if you remember that or not.

I recall that issue. Yeah.

Yeah. That was that that happened at the same time.

But I mean, this this isn't a tax that was ever under state statute done that you would put it on the ballot. I mean, this is so.

So it doesn't have to go on the ballot to be voted against us. You five guys right there are going to be the ones to determine whether or not this goes on the ballot. I mean, it comes into effect. Is that correct?

It's up to the Board of Trustees to determine it.

I can already tell you what you're going to probably do. You're going to probably want the money.

Well, they're required to have two public hearings, which this is the first hearing for that.

And how did you get it out to the public, to the people of the township to know that it's going to happen? Just...

It's been out on our social media feeds, out on our website. The news media picked up. They ran a story on this. So I know it's been out there. Okay.

And this is all that wants to come and argue against it or what? This is it? Wow.

And it's been out there. I can't speak to.

Wow. I'm just tired of everybody taking money, money, money, money. And I don't get anything in return. I don't see my paycheck going up and staying up with this stuff. You know, like I said, I felt like that you guys backdoored that in. So apparently I must have been misinformed that it wasn't backdoored in then. The license thing.

The license was never an item that was on the ballot, to my knowledge. No, that was a separate road and bridge levy.

I thought it was. Is there any way you can research that and see if that's true or not, or you're just going to go off memory?

Well, we can certainly look back into it, but I do recall there was a road and bridge.

Well, you said to my knowledge, but I'm sure it wasn't on the ballot. So, yeah, that was not on the ballot.

the license tax was not so so what they had to do then that to say that they were going to vote on that was is put it out in the newspaper for 30 days and then that would that would be the notice that we got in the township that you guys were going to vote on that that's that's what i understand they would have had to have followed state statute for the notice which would have been similar to these the same notice requirement back then yes well So they're not required to mail anything to each and every one of us in the township to tell us this?

No, that's not a requirement, no.

So if you can almost guess what's going to happen, in some other point of all, if you get your first screen, you show by what authority you put this $5, you can send me this $5, and they can come back up.

if you if you want to speak it's fine we just we it doesn't capture you on the recording if if you're not at the podiums but yes that is the statute that so it does say 2017 that's when it started That was when Miami Township first enacted it. I believe the statute that permitted that was enacted around 2011 2012. But we did not immediately enact that again for approximately five years. Okay, so why'd they wait? i can't speak to why they i mean that was a different board i don't i don't know why they waited or didn't and do it at that time right again it may have been the same reason we've waited as we have now until we felt that again prices have increased and

So, so, so it's saying that you're allowed to collect 10, $10 and Mike that's correct. That's what they allow you. So with this increase, you got, then you're done collecting. You can't collect anymore because 10 bucks is it unless the state raises it again, unless the state were to change the law.

Correct.

And when did the state enact this thing that they made it 10 bucks, uh, back in 2019. So, so, so is it in the future for them to want to raise it again? What's that? In the future, can they raise it again? I mean, raise the number whenever they want?

That's up to the state legislature. I can't obviously speak for what they may or may not do in the future.

Thank you. Is there any other opponents?

My name is David Gaines. I live at 2392 Cross Village Drive. My wife built the house 50 years ago in 1980. We got married, moved in in 1994. John, you did a very good presentation up here. I would like to hire you to do some stuff for my company because my son's too lazy to do it. You said you're trying to get on a 27-year cycle.

I'm trying to get below a 27-year cycle. I'm trying to get below. Right now, like I said, the Queensway, that's a 27-year-old road.

I was there last night.

And we have roads down in our Huber subdivision that we're working toward right now for the next few years that are in the 30s. We're also aggressively going after grant funding. Right now we have projects down in Huber that include ADA compliance ramps, new curb ramps for the sidewalks and stuff, so that way we can get in there and do some paving next year. So we're really trying to stretch our resources and we're really being cognizant of the communal impact of what we do, but we're also trying to take in how can we get, you know, roads to that condition and speed it up so it doesn't, you know, it's not failing like this.

Okay. I was just curious, you know, I've lived there since 94 and that road is, we used to see slurries about every five years, but there's been nothing done on Arbor Ridge and that's the main artery going through Chimney Springs down there. But they did do a nice job on Arbor Ridge that I just that just got completed. So they did do a good job there. So I'm really curious how you select streets to be done.

OK, so a few years ago when I came in the director, we we took a holistic approach and said, you know, what do we do? Do we need to keep doing preventative maintenance and try and do resurfacing? We weren't getting the road miles on resurfacing for what we needed to do. So we found a company that sends us a sensor. We put it on a car. It uses lidar and radar technology. It drives the cost down from having a company come in and walk the township and create that pcr that payment condition rating and we do that about every five years so it gives us data points on where do we need to allocate those resources throughout the township to try and get the most severe roads done first now Another thing that we're also doing is while we're there, if we have a cul-de-sac in a road, and this is moving forward from when I came in and using this data, if we're doing a road, we're not going to leave that cul-de-sac behind because we're already there because it costs us more in mobilizing the mill and other things. So we're trying to keep groups in the townships. That way we can pave more roads, do more curb ramp repairs. We've got stormwater in there. Like I said, the Huber Platte was built in the 50s. So there's tiles that go under the road in the road right away. We have the patches you can see in this photo up here where tiles failed and created a sinkhole and stuff. So all this goes to our road infrastructure.

Okay. No, you're doing a good job. I know the guy who one of my best friends was marketing director for that sensor company. So pretty aware of what you were doing out there. I think So this is an on topic and I'm just curious about what the property taxes and everything going on how are you guys trying to address that with the issue of abolishing property tax. Keeping up on that or anything because that's going to directly reflect what's going on here. Any discussions are for looking thinking on any of that or.

Well, I think looking at other revenue sources like this that are not tied to property taxes is one of the ways in which we're looking at that in order to diversify the revenues that we receive to take care of these infrastructure needs. Again, this is a way of collecting the revenue from the users of the road system that is not tied to their properties. So that... This is one mechanism the state has provided communities to do that. As a township, we're very limited. We have to follow state law in terms of how we can collect revenue, so we can only collect the revenues the state allows us to collect. they've provided this as an option for us so we are looking at how can we best sustain our operations and again given the fact that it's a flat five dollars when these are enacted so that five dollars what we could buy for five dollars and ten years ago obviously is not what we can buy for five dollars today so that's why we're looking at this and again looking at ways that or not putting a levy on the ballot on the property taxes to do this.

Well, I appreciate what you're doing as a board. I chaired a large church board in Centerville. That was a whole other can of worms working with that zoning department over there. So I understand the decisions you've got to make, and I appreciate your hard work on that. Just be thoughtful. Thank you.

Thank you.

So a number of years back, the township.

We can only give you about two minutes because we can only have five minutes per. Okay. I appreciate it. Thank you.

I hope that wasn't part of my two minutes. Right now. Go ahead. See, you guys enacted an income tax in these business zones, Austin's Landing and Miami Town, the Dayton Mall. Where do those funds go to? And does your department handle the tree trimming along the byways, or is that another department?

It depends on what area in the township. Township maintain roads, we do. For instance, you probably travel down Munger or Eckley. Yes, we do.

So when the branches are coming out, you guys trim it so it isn't going to scrape the school buses and trucks and all that stuff? yes we do have but there's a state code that directs you to do that correct what is that state code again let me let me speak with you after let me get your information i'll get you my email any questions we can communicate i'd be happy to answer any all right very good so so what happened to all the funds that you collect on the income tax at those two business locations

those those funds go into the general fund again those are what we use to maintain the parks to maintain other operations in the township and in general on to fund operations so the township over the years has faced other cutbacks again both from the local government fund as you may be aware the state eliminated the estate tax a number of years ago that used to be a a large source of revenue for a number of communities so again those funds have essentially replaced other funds that have disappeared over the years but um but those those funds are used for operations in the township they're what maintain your parks um you know again provide the other facilities and operations in the township so all right thank you

I now move that we close the public hearing on the motor vehicle tax. Can I get a second? I'll second. Any discussion?

Mr. Cole? Aye.

Mr. Barrett? Aye. The second public hearing for this is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 6 p.m., our regular Board of Trustees meeting. I move that we adjourn this meeting at 5.53 p.m.