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Road & Bridge Replacement Levy is Slated for March 6 Primary Ballot

Check the Road & Bridge Levy Brochure here

Washington Township Trustees are asking residents to vote March 6 on a Road and Bridge Levy that will help maintain the township’s growing network of roads.

If approved, the 1.85-mill, five-year replacement levy – appearing on the ballot as Issue 19 – will allow the township to continue its current level of service for another five years. It replaces a 1.7-mill levy that expires at the end of the year.

The slight increase in millage will partly compensate for a projected $1.74 million loss to the Public Works Department budget over the next five years due to state cutbacks and a decline in property values.

“We’ve looked carefully at expenditures and revenue and taken a conservative approach to the millage request. Given the difficult economic times, we’ve made a commitment to the community to control costs,” said Trustee President Scott Paulson. Even with levy passage, the Public Works Department will operate with an anticipated $195,065 less than it did in 2008 when the current limited-term levy entered its first year.

What Owners Pay

If the levy is approved, the owner of a house valued at $200,000 will pay about $113.31 in the first year, an amount that is about $9.18 more than 2012 and $4.71 more than in 2008 when the same house was valued at $208,600. The 2008 home value assumes a loss in value of 4.12 percent in 2011, which reflects the average decline in residential/agricultural real estate.

The Value of Well-Maintained Roads

Levy revenue, estimated at $1.87 million in its first year, pays for road maintenance and construction in the unincorporated area of Washington Township and enables the township to service an expanding network of roads that has reached 145.1 centerline miles. “Well-maintained roads make economic sense. It's more cost effective to maintain roads than to wait until they begin to deteriorate,” said Township Administrator Jesse Lightle.

"Repairing roads improves public safety and helps prevent maintenance problems for vehicles. It also contributes to attractive neighborhoods and enhances property values," said Paulson.

In addition to ongoing street improvement, projects for the next five years include work on Nutt, Paragon and Washington-Church roads and participation in the Austin Boulevard project, Lightle said.

How Road Maintenance is Funded

Most of the Road and Bridge Fund is comprised of property tax – 39 percent from the proposed levy and 50 percent from 2.35 inside mills that are not subject to taxpayer approval. The levy will not fully offset revenue losses to inside millage, even though it will generate about $152,007 more than the expiring levy provides in 2012. Annual losses include $148,177 from state cutbacks and $198,895 from a decline in property tax values.

Unlike cities which are not required to return to voters once an income tax levy is passed, township governments must do so on a regular basis when property tax levies expire. "This requirement forces townships to offer a highly accountable form of government," said Paulson. "Every time a levy expires, residents have the opportunity – through their votes – to let us know if local government is doing what they wish."