New millage proposed for road and bridge levy

by Laura Bednar

July 6 special township trustees meeting

Bath Township trustees are considering yet another millage option for a road and bridge fund levy that could be on the November ballot.

The township has an existing 2-mill road and bridge levy that expires at the end of this year. An earlier proposal called for a 2-mill levy renewal and 1-mill increase, which would have generated just under $2 million annually per calculations by the Summit County Fiscal Officer based on each $100,000 of appraised value.

Police Chief/Township Administrator Vito Sinopoli said the state legislature has eliminated replacement levies, which kept existing millage but adjusted it to meet current economic valuation. Renewal levies are limited by House Bill 920, which enacted a reduction factor, meaning a levy can only collect the amount voters approved at the time it was enacted.

Calculations by the county fiscal officer showed the 2-mill renewal and 1-mill increase would generate $300,000 less than a new 3-mill levy due to the reduction factor. The 3-mill levy would generate almost $2.4 million.

Sinopoli said the newest proposal asks for a 2-mill renewal with a 1.4-mill increase for a total of 3.4 mills. He said the township’s ongoing capital projects and projected wage increases required more funds.

Trustees unanimously approved sending the new millage to the county fiscal officer to calculate the millage in dollars and cents. “Once the trustees decide which level of millage to place on the ballot, the next step would be a resolution to proceed, requesting the board of elections to place the levy on the November ballot,” said Sinopoli.

Cryptocurrency officer

Trustees also approved a memorandum of understanding between the Bath and Jackson township police departments to conduct cryptocurrency investigations. Cryptocurrency is a digital form of currency which people share with a third party.

Sinopoli said Jackson’s department has an investigator that specializes in cryptocurrency recovery and has succeeded in recovering stolen cryptocurrency in cases of fraud. The agreement allows him to work on cryptocurrency cases for Bath Township. Sinopoli said the department has two ongoing crypto cases, and there have been six to eight cases over the past three years. “We’ve seen an increase,” he said.