SIDNEY — Sidney City Councilmembers have appointed a committee of residents to promote the passage of a .05% permanent income tax levy. The issue will be on the March 19, 2024, Primary Election ballot. Shelby County Commissioner Bob Guillozet has been asked to chair the Streets & Safety Plus Committee. Servicing alongside him as co-chairs will be Sidney Mayor Mike Barhorst and Vice Mayor Steve Wagner

Sidney City Council voted unanimously to put a permanent income tax levy on ballot at their Nov. 29, 2023, regular meeting. The tax would replace the .015% tax currently being levied for the repair of streets and bridges.

“It is clear that the current levy is not providing the amount of money required to repair streets and bridges,” former Sidney Mayor and current First Ward Councilmember Mardie Milligan said. “The same inflation that has hit all of us has impacted City operations particularly hard.”

Wagner agreed.

“Simply repaving a street with 1.5 inches of asphalt now costs $150,000 per lane mile, and Sidney has 289 lane miles of streets,” Wagner said. “Rebuilding Campbell Road, a project expected to be undertaken later this year, will cost $3,000,000 per mile.”

“As a councilmember, I continue to be distressed by the projects we are not able to fund,” At-Large Councilmember Jenny VanMatre said. “The annual requests across all departments continue to outstrip revenues, increasing year after year.”

“In 2010, the unfunded requests totaled $7,042,350,” Third Ward Councilmember Scott Roddy said. “Just five years later, the unfunded requests had grown to $33,166,500. This year, those requests have grown to $58,867,603. We simply have to get out in front of this before it becomes insurmountable.”

“Least residents think we are talking about glitzy items,” Guillozet said, “those items include safety equipment and personnel that is essential.”

Before becoming a county commissioner, Guillozet was a Sidney firefighter, and before retiring in 2005, was Sidney’s first deputy fire chief.

“The life-span of a medic unit is approximately twelve years,” Guillozet said. “Sidney Fire has four medic units. They are 1, 3, 17, and 18 years of age. The last new medic unit we purchased before I retired cost $85,990. Sidney Fire purchased a new medic unit last year, and it cost $251,268, and that was without equipment onboard. Inflation has just been a budget-killer.”

“While the city tries to replace their pumpers every twenty-five years, the current pumpers are 26 and 27 years old,” Guillozet said. “When I was still on the department, we could purchase a new fire engine for $266,900. The City is currently bidding a new engine, and the bids are ranging from $1,150,000 to $1,200,000. Unfortunately, that’s without essential equipment, including hoses, airpacks, and tools.”

“The police department side is just as dramatic,” Roddy said. “Police pursuit vehicles were $22,500 in 1980. They are now $90,000, and that’s without equipment.”

“I’ve been around a long time,” Barhorst said. “The city has always been careful stewards of tax dollars. We simply cannot continue to ‘kick the can down the road’ and hope for a miracle. While the counties, townships and municipalities have joined together urging the state of Ohio to restore the Local Government Fund, that’s simply not happened. As the state continues to lower state taxes, it is obvious that Columbus wants to shift the tax burden to local government. If we want things like good streets and bridges, beautiful parks, emergency personnel to respond when we need them, we are going to have to make it happen.”

“The levy will allow us to take Sidney from treading water to new heights,” City Manager Andrew Bowsher said. “Currently, we have maintained, and with excellent planning and fewer staff members than prior to the Great Recession, and we have been able to excel.

“But it’s now time for Sidney to compete even more regionally and align ourselves with the wants and needs of our residents. Our residents deserve more, and so we shall utilize this resource to program more, build new, and maintain our existing parks, infrastructure, and facilities,” Bowsher concluded.

Early voting begins Feb. 21 at the Shelby County Board of Elections from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Hours after that initial date are listed on the Board of Elections website (https://www.boe.ohio.gov/shelby/). Additional information about the levy is available from any City Councilmember of member of the levy committee.