Everyone will be paying more money to the MHARS Board if the measure is approved. The agency operates on federal, local and state funding but 57% of their revenue comes from two local tax levies. Executive Director Scott Rasmus said this is a new levy, but it will replace the existing .5-mill, 10-year levy that first passed in 1985 and was last renewed in 2014.
If successful they will retire the old funding source that expires this year. That levy costs taxpayers $5 per $100,000 and collects about $2.4 million. The new levy would cost $17.50 per $100,000 and collect about $6.6 million.
“What we’re looking at really here is the delta, the new mills versus the old mills, which is $13 per $100,000 home per year,” Rasmus told the Journal-News previously. “That’s about a dollar per month so what I can say is we’re only going for what we need. We want to utilize this to get out at least five years… We’re very good stewards of the taxpayers money.”
The two library systems are hoping voters will approve continuing levies, which eliminates the need to go back to the voters every five years as they have been doing. The MidPointe Library — with locations in Middletown, Monroe, Trenton and Liberty and West Chester townships — is asking for an additional 1.25-mill levy that would increase taxes from $14.63 to $43.75 per $100,000 of property value.
The Lane Libraries, with locations in Fairfield, Hamilton and Oxford, are looking for a .75-mill renewal that won’t raise taxes.
The Monroe Local School District wants to replace an existing 3.49-mill bond levy that is expiring. The new one will cost the same at $122.15 per $100,000. Princeton Schools are asking for a new 5-mill operating levy that would cost $175 per $100,000.
New Miami is asking for two additional levies, one for fire and the other for streets with a combined new money total of $315 per $100,000 in value. A successful fire levy will cost $210 per $100,000 and streets levy $105. Lemon Twp. and Oxford have fire levies up for approval and they would cost $54.07 and $91 more respectively.
Deputy BOE Director Eric Corbin said predicting turnout is tricky.
“It’s super hard to estimate but historically speaking in Butler County for presidential elections it’s been around 72%,” Corbin said. “At this point I think that’s a safe estimate.”
The Butler County Auditor’s office has a levy calculator on its website where property owners can see what it cost them if they vote in favor of a tax issue.
To find the estimated cost — they are based on 2024 valuations and subject to change — for the levies taxpayers should go to the property search section on the auditor’s website at, type in their name or address and they’ll find the levy calculator at the top of the profile section.
About the Author