Orange Township seeks to renew two levies

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The Orange Township Board of Trustees is asking voters to renew a 1-mill parks and recreation levy and a 0.5-mill roads levy this Nov. 5. Both levies are due to expire at the end of December 2019.

According to information posted on the township’s website, the 1-mill parks and recreation levy funds the township’s seven parks, totaling 90 acres of recreational green space, 13 miles of multipurpose trails, and a small maintenance crew. The levy also funds the individual features of each park such as playground equipment, the aquatic center located at North Orange Park along U.S. 23, athletic fields, park buildings, shelters, restrooms and parking lots.

Future plans include the addition of the Lewis Center–North Road Trail and the Lewis Center Trail Phase II, which will extend from Bale Kenyon Road to Waukegan Avenue.

The 0.5-mill roads levy funds the maintenance of 101.5 miles of roadway within the almost 23-square-mile township, supports a crew of seven maintenance workers and road equipment that patch potholes, clean ditches, provides mowing along road right-of-ways, rates roads for resurfacing and repair, line striping, installing and updating to be within the standards of the American Disabilities Act (ADA), access ramps, cross-walk markings, and winter snow and ice control.

Based on the township’s current total tax valuation of $1.3 billion, as provided by the county auditor earlier this year, the three-year, 1-mill parks and recreation renewal levy amounts to 10 cents for each $100 of tax valuation.

If approved by the voters, the renewal will generate $1.2 million per year that can only be used for the township’s parks and recreational facilities.

In 2016, trustees reduced the once 1.5-mill parks levy to a 1-mill levy and used the remaining .5 mills to create a road improvement levy to maintain township roads.

At the time, officials reported that the township was facing the break down of 50 miles in residential roads that would overstress the township’s general fund.

In a report from 2016, the 1-mill parks levy renewal yielded $1.1 million per year, while the new 0.5-mill road improvement levy produced $579,000 per year.

Again, based on township’s current total tax valuation of $1.3 billion, as provided by the county auditor, the three-year, 0.5-mill road improvement renewal levy amounts to 5 cents for each $100 of tax valuation.

If approved by the voters, the renewal will generate $631,003 per year for the general purpose of general construction, reconstruction, resurfacing, and repair of the township’s streets, roads and bridges.

To learn more about the levies, visit http://www.orangetwp.org/DocumentCenter/View/3134.

https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2019/10/election-horiz.pdf

By D. Anthony Botkin

[email protected]

Contact D. Anthony Botkin at 740-413-0902. Follow him on Twitter @dabotkin.

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