Alexandria, home to about 500 people, is bouncing back and finding alternatives to support the village financially after voters rejected a replacement property tax levy in the November election.
About 52% of voters – or 142 residents – voted against the 4-mill levy, which would have brought in about $57,000 each year over the next five years, said Alexandria Mayor Sean Barnes.
The levy would have cost residents $140 per $100,000 in property value – about $54 more than the previous levy. Barnes said most houses in Alexandria are in the $200,000 to $250,000 range, so most people were looking at a $100 to $130 increase from previous years.
Final election results show that 129 residents voted in support of the levy, which Barnes said would have helped the village pay for road maintenance and the new police department, among other public services.
The levy failure will result in a reduction of 18% in the village’s operating fund.
“That’s a detriment, because with everything that’s going on related to Intel and the growth … the strain that all that new development is putting on us, we’re going to be in a sort of a more difficult situation now to try and maintain things like our roads, our streets, sidewalks, just everything,” Barnes said. “Every day since I’ve gotten involved in the community, … everybody believes very strongly that we have a great community, and they want it to stay great.”
Barnes recognizes that there was a lot on the ballot and people may have been focused on other issues. He understands that a lot of people may have been feeling they were overwhelmed with costs.
“I think they vote with their wallet a lot,” said Carianne Meng, an Alexandria Village Council member. “It also tells me that people are facing increased financial pressures and are having to make some tough decisions.”
Meng was disappointed with the outcome of the election. She said that Alexandria is not a village of endless resources, and it relies on levies to pay for public services.
“All of our citizens use the police department. All of our citizens rely on leaf pick-up and snow removal,” Meng said.
Before the election, Barnes sent an informational email about the levy to Alexandria residents. He received critical replies from some residents whose responses were not rooted in current information about Alexandria’s leadership.
“I think if people understood that their community was going to lose out on a lot of funding just because of this levy, they may have had a different sort of perspective on it,” Barnes said.
Barnes said that attendance at Alexandria Village Council meetings has been low, and there is little participation from residents.
Community needs
The increase in funds the levy would have generated might not seem like much to some of Alexandria’s neighbors, but the money would have helped Alexandria purchase a building for the police and maintenance department. Right now, the maintenance staff keep their salt used to de-ice roads in winter under a tarp, not in a building. Police cars are currently parked in public spots around the village. The money would have helped improve roads or parks and paid for preventative maintenance rather than repairs.
Barnes said he would like to be able to pay for full-time employees. Every Alexandria employee is part-time. Everyone has a full-time job on top of their part time jobs for the village.
“It’s kind of like volunteerism, but it’s because we really want to see the village be in the best place possible,” Barnes said. “That’s why I got involved was with all this growth and development and hearing all my neighbors and community members worried about our rural lifestyle.”
Barnes is frustrated but he said he still believes in Alexandria. He has lived in the village for 10 years, and hopes to stay for the rest of his life. Right now, he is trying to create a good foundation so he can hand it off to the next mayor of Alexandria.
The future
Alexandria’s Village Council has been discussing the idea of an income tax levy for the May primary election after receiving feedback from the community. Many residents are retired with fixed incomes, so an income tax levy may be more feasible for some residents.
The village council has applied for an Ohio Department of Transportation grant for approximately $1.4 million that would provide the opportunity to install sidewalks and pathways to make the village more walkable. The grant would enhance safety features at cross walks and extend sidewalks.
“We have people who don’t drive, who need to walk in the village,” Meng said. “We have young families and kids who have strollers and are learning to ride a bike. I don’t think we need to have a million curated flowerbeds. I do think we need to have clean streets and tidy sidewalks and pride in the village where we live.”
Barnes said he wants “to make sure that my focus is on building a village that operate in all departments as sustainable and professional as possible.”
Barnes believes there are a lot of possibilities for Alexandria, and he said he will continue to work to make the community better. He is hopeful that the community wants to support him and the council.
Caroline Zollinger writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.