Oxford, surrounding residents may vote on 3 levies in general election

While there will be several issues on the ballot for the general election on Nov. 4 for residents of Butler County, there are three which may affect residents of Oxford and nearby townships.

One of the levies will provide county-wide funding for senior citizen services and will appear on ballots for all residents of Butler County. 

Another would provide funding to the Hanover Township Fire District, and the third would provide funding for Milford Township emergency services. These two will be available for voters living in Hanover and Milford townships, respectively.

All three levies, if approved by voters, would take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

Early in-person voting will begin Oct. 7 at the Butler County Board of Elections Office located at 1802 Princeton Rd., Suite 600, Hamilton, Ohio. Absentee ballots will also begin to be mailed out on that day.

Polling locations may be found by visiting elections.bcohio.gov.

Issue 1

The levy that all Butler County voters will decide upon for the upcoming general election will be the first issue on the ballot: To both renew and increase the existing levy for the purpose of providing and maintaining senior citizens services.

Estimates from the Butler County auditor show this levy would likely collect over $20.2 million annually for five years for senior citizen services. 

For homeowners, this levy would amount to $50 for each $100,000 of their appraised property value annually for five years. Previously, the levy amounted to $25 for each $100,000 of appraised property value.

Overall, the levy amounts to less than 2% of the average property tax bill in Butler County, or about $4 per month.

The levy is a renewal of the previous 1.3 millage rate, or $1.30 per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value, and an increase of 0.7 mill for each $1 of taxable value. This levy has been in place for 30 years, although the most recent levy will expire on Dec. 31 and must be renewed every five years.

According to Ken Wilson, chief operating officer of the Council on Aging, the levy would go towards the Elderly Services Program (ESP), which provides basic services for individuals to receive care within their home, and FastTrack Home, which is designed to assist individuals leaving a nursing home or hospital to transition to in-home care.

“We’re not here to replace what family and friends are doing, but to supplement what they can’t do,” Wilson said. 

For example, Wilson said 80% of the funding would go toward home care aids and Meals on Wheels. 

“So it’s food and aid – going into somebody’s house to help with dressing the person, giving them a bath, helping them get out of bed, basic tasks,” he said. 

The other 20% of the funding would go toward other services provided through the Council on Aging, including an adult day center for individuals who have dementia, transportation to medical appointments and emergency buttons.

Wilson said the levy constitutes 93% of the budget for the services, and without the funding that’s been received for several decades, the services could end, as there is no funding replacement.

Since the last levy increase in 2005, Wilson said Butler County’s population over the age of 60 has grown by 79%, and the age group over 85 has increased by 52%. The total clients the council serves in Butler County has also increased by 50%.

At the same time, he said the cost per client has increased by 18%, and federal funding has decreased this year with the loss of pandemic-era American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and reductions in the Older Americans Act (OAA) funding.

In general, Wilson said ESP may be more affordable for seniors, as the average cost of a nursing home for local residents through Medicaid is $8,300 per month, while the average cost through ESP to provide in-home care is $425 per month. Right now, he said the council is providing care to over 4,000 older adults across Butler County.

But Wilson said the council is having to decrease the amount of people it can serve as it attempts to stay within its budget.

“It’s hard to turn away services from people who need it, but if you don’t have the money to pay for it, that’s what you have to do, and that’s the situation we’re in, which is why the increase is needed so desperately,” he said.

Issue 5

The levy that will be available for residents of Hanover Township to vote on during the upcoming general election will be Issue 5: For the benefit of Hanover Township Fire District.

This levy is an additional tax, which the Butler County auditor estimates will collect over $1.1 million annually for five years. 

For homeowners, this levy will amount to $123 for each $100,000 of the appraised property value per year.

The levy will collect at a rate not exceeding 3.5 mills for each $1 of taxable value.

Although the Hanover Township Fire District has a levy, it will also expire at the end of the year, and it is based on valuations from 2016. The additional levy, although placed at the same millage rate as before, would collect an increased amount of funding for the fire district, as it’s based on newer valuations.

According to Hanover Township Administrator Bruce Henry, the levy makes up around 98% of the Hanover Township Fire District’s budget. 

Henry said around 43% of the funding goes toward paying personnel for EMS and fire runs. The rest of the funding goes toward paying for the facility, equipment and fuel among other expenses. 

Henry said this levy would go toward scheduling the purchase of a new ambulance to replace an older one the township has, as well as current services. 

Right now, Henry said all employees are part-time, although the district would like to have some full-time workers in the future.

Although the levy goes toward the Hanover Township Fire District specifically, Henry said the services often crossover into surrounding townships, including Oxford, through mutual aid. 

“If you want good services, the basic services, (you’ve) got to pay for them,” Henry said.

Issue 6

The levy which will be available for residents of Milford Township to vote on during the upcoming general election will be Issue 6: For the purpose of providing ambulance and/or emergency medical services.

The Butler County auditor has estimated this levy will collect $255,338 annually for emergency services within Milford Township.

The levy is an additional tax. For homeowners, this levy would amount to $65 for each $100,000 of the appraised property value annually for five years. 

The levy would collect at a rate not exceeding 1.85 mills for each $1 of taxable value.

Milford Township Trustee Amy Butterfield said the township does not have its own emergency medical services and must contract those services through the City of Oxford.

As a result of increased rates for EMS, Butterfield said the township must ask for the levy to continue to pay for those services.