“The definitive answer simply is no,” Whalen said. “They do not have the money, and it’s public record. You can go look at the budget.”
Hamilton’s general fund in 2008, before the start of the Great Recession, spent $48.5 million. The city’s general fund spending plan for this year is $47.86 million, city Finance Director Dave Jones told the Journal-News.
City Manger Joshua Smith has said several times he believes there are very few cities or other Ohio governments that can say they’re spending less than they did 12 years ago.
Since the recession started, several major industries and companies closed their doors in Hamilton, which lowered city tax revenues. During the years since 2008, city government has cut its staff from the equivalent of 730 full-time positions to 624 today, Jones said.
Several things complicate those calculations. In 2008, the way city government counted full-time staff included part-time and seasonal employees, he said. Also, there have been increases in some staff because of additional duties.
In 2016, when Hamilton’s Meldahl Hydroelectric Dam opened on the Ohio River, the city added 10 operators for that facility. Some 48.6 percent of those salaries are reimbursed by other governments that also own the dam.
Also, with increasing national threats to schools, the city in recent years has added seven police “school resource officers” who work in the schools when they’re in session, and for the city at large during the summer. The schools reimburse Hamilton for 75 percent of those salaries and benefits — the percent of time the officers are in school buildings.
In 2007, Hamilton’s total salaries and benefits for employees was $60.8 million, Jones said. In 2019, the total salaries and benefits were $61.9 million. Government officials note the cost of benefits has risen sharply during that period.
A general fund is the main source of funding for most of the government’s operations, not including its utilities.
Salaries and benefits will take up an estimated 74.5 percent of Hamilton’s 2020 general-fund budget. Public safety forces (police and firefighters) will take up 76.9 percent of those salaries.
The proposed 10-year, 3.9-mill levy, would generate generate $3.1 million per year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $136.50 per year, or the owner of a $75,000 home $102.38.
Mayor Pat Moeller recently issued a statement about why Hamilton has difficulty repairing roads.
In it, he wrote, “Yes, the state of Ohio has increased the fuel tax, providing approximately $1.2 million per year to Hamilton for street improvement. Yes, the recently enacted increase to license renewal fees provides approximately $300,000 per year to Hamilton for street improvements from homeowners, renters, and commercial entities. The reality is that when you add these new sources to our existing spending, that’s still less than half of what we need annually just to stop the streets from getting worse each year on average.”
People seeking more answers can go to the levy advocacy site, www.fixourstreetsHamilton.com and ask questions there.
Street-Repair Levy Facts
Things to know about Hamilton’s Issue 1 street-repair levy:
- The proposed 10-year, 3.9-mill levy, would generate generate $3.1 million per year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $136.50 per year, or the owner of a $75,000 home $102.38.
- Hamilton has about 250 miles of streets, and 550 miles of lanes on those streets, because some have three or more lanes. It would cost an estimated $150 million to bring all Hamilton's streets back to good condition.
- Each city neighborhood will be able to choose which streets should receive priority funding in its area if the levy passes.
- City officials chose a 10-year period for the levy to give voters confidence in the program — if voters aren't satisfied with what they've seen in a decade, they won't renew it.
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