Oxford Village residents can expect to see no relief when their summer tax bill comes in July.
The village council May 24 approved keeping the operating rate at 12.62 mills ? the same rate it’s levied since 2002 ? to finance its $10,152,990 budget for July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006 (seen right), which it also approved that night.
However, township Supervisor Bill Dunn, who’s also a village resident, told village officials their operating rate actually represents a tax increase because it still includes the 1.27 mills the village levied for fire services even though the township will begin levying a fire millages across all of Oxford (village included) in December 2005.
‘That’s really not true,? said Dunn of the village’s statement that its tax rate will remain the same for 2005-06. ‘There’s a tax increase in there.?
Since 2000, the township and village have levied separate operating millages to fund the Oxford Fire Department. The township’s millage is voter-approved while the village’s is levied through a vote of its five-member council.
For instance, last year the village council levied 11.35 mills for general operating and 1.27 mills for fire ? a total of 12.62 mills.
But on May 3, voters in both the township and village approved levying 1.5 mills for fire/EMS operations plus another 1 mill for Advanced Life Support across the entire township including the village. The levy will begin with the December 2005 tax collection, meaning township and village residents will now pay 2.5 mills for fire/EMS operations and ALS to the township.
Attending last week’s council meeting as a resident, Dunn expressed his displeasure that village officials would not be reducing the overall village millage rate accordingly, meaning subtracting council’s usual levy for fire operations.
‘We don’t know exactly when our (fire) millage will end because it only ends with the total elimination of OPFEC,? said village President Renee Donovan, referring to the Feb. 23 court order which ordered the dissolution of the Oxford Public Fire and EMS Commission (the body through which the township and village jointly oversee the fire department) and division of assets via binding arbitration.
‘This year we’re leaving the 12.62 millage rate as it is while we are awaiting the court’s final determination of the dissolution of OPFEC,? Donovan told Dunn. ‘So the millage rate will stay right where it is because we don’t know exactly what’s going to happen or be required.?
‘Say it happens in a couple of months. What are you going to do with that extra money? Are you going to rebate it?? Dunn asked council.
‘Probably not at this point in time,? Donovan replied.
‘Well, that’s wrong ? totally wrong. Why should we (village residents) pay twice?? Dunn said. ‘This wouldn’t happen under a township form of government. Under a city or village it can. You can just arbitrarily raise our taxes without a vote of the people.?
Councilman Steve Allen pointed out that until the township-wide millage begins in December, ‘the funding for the fire department remains the same as it is today,? meaning the township and village each have to pay their share separately. So, the village budget must include ‘a full six months? (July to December) of fire funding, he said.
Village Manager Joe Young explained that because the village operates on a different fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) than the township (Jan. 1 to Dec. 1), it still must levy 0.635-mill for fire operations until the township-wide levy begins in December.
After that, the other half of what would have been the fire operating millage (the remaining 0.635 mill) will be put toward paying off the $2.5 million, 15-year bond debt for the village’s upcoming street improvements (see story on page 8.)
‘You could look at it that way,? Young said in a later interview. ‘Of course, we look at it as a total pool of funds for whatever priorities the council wants to fund because it’s not a dedicated millage like the township’s (fire millage) which was voted. Ours comes out of operating just like we fund the police department. We don’t have a separate millage for that,?
Young explained the village will be allocating ‘the equivalent of 1 mill? in 2005-06 toward paying off the street improvement bond debt, the first installment of which is $233,169.
The manager noted that 1 mill will only generate about $124,000 of the first payment so the village will have to cover the rest with money from its reserve funds.
Allen said ‘holding the line? at 12.62 mills is ‘a pretty amazing feat? considering ‘there’s been a great deal of loss in state revenue sharing? and ‘the growth in the village hasn’t kept up with the cuts in that funding.?
Dunn offered council a suggestion as to how they could save a few dollars.
‘One way I know you can save money is to stop this cityhood drive that’s going on,? he said.
Dunn noted that as a village resident he’s ‘tired of paying double? for attorneys on both sides of the cityhood issue.
Village residents are paying for a total of four legal firms (two for the village, two for the township) to work for and against the cityhood effort, started by council President Donovan’s husband Tracy Miller in 2003.
Dunn said the legal process behind cityhood, whereby money is spent on boundary surveys and attorneys prior to a vote of whether residents actually want it, is ‘ridiculous.?
‘I think before we spend anymore money on cityhood we should think about that,? he said, adding he will begin taking a petition around the village proposing an ordinance that would prohibit council from spending anymore tax money on cityhood without a vote of the people first.