NELSONVILLE -In an emergency session, Nelsonville City Council passed a resolution last night mandating the city auditor prepare a certificate to renew a property tax that would produce estimated revenues of 2 mills on the November ballot.
A mill is one penny for every $1,000 of a property tax.
The revenue gained by the levy would help with general construction, reconstruction, resurfacing and repair of streets, roads and bridges. The levy would repeat for five years beginning Jan. 1, 2005.
I'm happy this is a renewal and not a new tax
council Vice President Greg Smith said.
He said the city's residents could not deal with a new tax considering 49 percent are under the poverty line.
Smith called on all Nelsonville citizens to contact Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, House Speaker Larry Householder, R-Glenford, state Sen. Joy Padgett, R-Coshocton, and Rep. Jimmy Stewart, R-Athens, and urge them to not cut local government funds.
Tell them we can't stand it anymore that's for darn sure councilman Bill Wend said.
The city manager's expected report on the possibility of cutting emergency dispatchers and using the Athens County 911 service instead was deferred to the police/fire committee. City Manager Fred Holmes will present his report to the committee on June 7 at 6 p.m.
Wend said the city would have a balanced budget and a surplus of almost $18,000 if it does not appropriate any more money for the year. He said the possible surplus resulted from laying off the city's code enforcement officer and change in the way the city's income tax is distributed.
Holmes did not think the city would be able to operate without appropriating any more money for the remaining six months.
I think what it does is it gives us some breathing room
but it doesn't solve the problem
he said.
In other council news:
- Holmes said the Nelsonville aquatic center will open on Friday, May 28. The pool will be open on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. On Saturday, it will be open from noon to 8 p.m. and on Sunday it will be open from noon to 6 p.m. The pool's regular hours of noon to 7:30 p.m. begin on June 5.
- The city's street department supervisor announced his retirement in a letter to Holmes. Ronnie Lauderback thanked the council, city manager and city for their support in the letter.
Lauderback is retiring after 27 years with the city. The council accepted his resignation.
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