County voters to decide on 911 levy renewal

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Delaware County commissioners approved placing the county’s 911 levy renewal — with an increase in millage — on the Nov. 8 ballot. The current 911 levy expires at the end of 2016.

Patrick Brandt, director of county 911 services, said, “This would be the first increase in the levy’s millage in 10 years.”

Delaware County Auditor George Kaitsa has certified the $3.7 million tax levy for 911 emergency services.

The proposed 911 levy is a renewal of the existing 0.45-mill levy with an increase of 0.18 mills, bringing the total to 0.63 mills.

The 0.18-mill addition will generate $1,097,900 per year. A homeowner with a $100,000 market-value home currently pays $13.18 in taxes per year for the current levy. The 0.18-mill increase on the levy will cost that homeowner an additional $6.30 per year, Kaitsa told The Gazette earlier this year.

Before the levy could be considered, earlier this year a “double-taxation” issue was discovered by county officials while they were discussing renewal of the existing 911 tax levy. Parts of Columbus, Dublin and Westerville reside in Delaware County but are served by each of the municipalities’ 911 services and would have been taxed again for the county’s service.

State Rep. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell, was asked by county officials to sponsor a bill to resolve the issue. Once the bill passed both the State House of Representatives and Senate it was signed by Governor Kasich into law.

Jeff Wilson, chief of the BST&G Fire District told county commissioners the day the levy was presented to them for approval, “The necessity of 911 goes without saying,” he said. “We want our residents to pick up that telephone, dial 911 and have that call come into our state-of-the-art center.”

If voters approve the issue, it will provide the county with over $1 million more than the current 911 levy generates. Homeowners will pay an annual total of $19.48 per $100,000 of market value, with the additional 0.18 mills.

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By D. Anthony Botkin

[email protected]

D. Anthony Botkin may be reached at 740-413-0902 or on Twitter @dabotkin.

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