BY JOHN A. DARNELL JR.
      associate editor
      With three renewal property tax issues on the May primary ballot and concerns over statewide efforts to abolish such taxes, Boardman Township officials expressed concern last week that if the levies fail, a reduction in police and fire services provided to the public will be considered.
      “We have three levies on for renewal right now, two of which are general fund, which we don’t like. One is actually a very specific levy, a 3.85 mill renewal for the police department. Those three levies combined represent about 34 per cent of our budget. So it’s very important that these get renewed, or we’re going to have to change service models,” Administrator Jason Loree said last week, adding “What does that mean?”
      Loree said without funds generated by the levies, there could be cutbacks in the forms of what types of call police and fire personnel answer.
      “Any reductions could be in the form of cuts to fire response and police responses. It’s just a matter of how big of an impact it would be if we lost any of those levies,” the administrator said.
      “Going forward, the strategy has always been, and I believe, will continue to be looking at ways to fund the township with specific levies. No more general fund issues. People want to know where their money is being spent, and right now, the only mechanism to do that is through property taxes,” Loree said.
      “These renewals in May are not going cost the taxpayers anymore additional money,” Steve Yacovone, chairman of Boardman Township’s Board of Trustees said, adding “getting these renewals passed is our first concern. If those don’t pass, we’re going to have a completely different conversation.”
      Boardman operates on an annual budget of approximately $25 million, and according to the Township Fiscal Office approximately 19 per cent of all property taxes collected raise funds for township government. Per $100,000 of property valuation, cost to the taxpayer is about $1.14 per day, the fiscal office says.
      The three renewal issues on the May primary ballot bring in some $5.003 million, or about 50 per cent of the total of an estimated $10.124 million in property tax revenues Boardman Township receives from general fund and service levies. (CHECK)
      Loree said that township government officials do not like the current model of property taxes.
      “We know that that’s under fire right now, through a special committee that’s formed to repeal all property taxes.
      “We are hoping, as we go forward, that there are other ways to fund our local government. Whether that’s sales or income tax, our state representatives need to be brought into the fold to understand how much of an impact losing all property taxes would be for Boardman Township and essentially any township in the state of Ohio,” Loree said.
      Tax issues on the May primary ballot for Boardman Township are a 7/10-mill general fund issue, a 3-mill current expenses levy, and a 3.85-mill police issue.
      The 7/10-mill issue was first approved by the electorate in 1976 and generates some $260,000 a year.
      The 3-mill levy was first approved in 1976 and generates about $1.4 million a year.
      The 3.85-mill police issue, that was first approved in 2011, provides some $3.5 million a year.
      “There has been an attack on the township form of government for at least 19 years and now moving forward with the elimination of property taxes, and that movement picking up steam, which is very popular in Mahoning County specifically. Our Board of Trustees has asked for help from the state whether that’s allowing the collection of income tax for township, or even a portion of sales tax for townships, something’s going to have to be done.
      “I pray that the state comes up with a amicable solution. Because the last thing you want to see happen is basically within one year, there’s no more Boardman Township and it gets gobbled-up by the city of Youngstown or some other municipality,” Loree said.
      “What they are just talking about, the cities, just to put a few things in perspective, I guess, efficient governments are throughout the state, but specific to townships versus cities---If you would look at the fiscal year 2025, with a population of 60,000 , the city of Youngstown had a $222.6 million budget. And then Boardman Township, that has a population of about 41,000, which grows nearly 90,000 during the day, has a budget of about $25 million. So for what we do here, what they do in the city and for the amount of money that’s being spent and generated there, township government is by far one of the most efficient forms of government. For them to not recognize that at the state level is a shame,” Boardman Fiscal Officer Brad Calhoun said.
      During a meeting of Boardman Trustees last week, Yacovone lauded services provided by local government.
      “You hear about the accreditation that our police department is doing.
      “Last week our fire department responded to a house right next to mine. I have a sick neighbor, and they were out there 3:00 a.m. I could hear the treatment they were offering and the care that they were giving.
      “People ask, where does my money go? What does my money fund? This is what your money funds. This is where your money goes.
      “When people think of moving to Boardman Township, what do they look for?
      “Good police, good fire, good roads, good zoning. And that’s what we provide.
      “With the renewals we have on for May, what we want to continue to provide are those exceptional services for our community…without overburdening the taxpayer. We are looking at alternative solutions for funding. We are doing our best to try to figure out a way to navigate Boardman in the future where we’re not overburdening the taxpayer, but we also have to understand that we need to provide these services to the public. Because if they don’t get those services in the exceptional way we’ve continued to provide them, they’re not going to want to reside in Boardman Township, and that’s not what we want.
      “It’s our job to try to guide Boardman into the future, this unknown, uncharted territory that we’re going into with the abolishing property tax initiative. And we’re doing our best with what we have right now. But just know, and I think I speak for everyone on the board, that we have the citizens of Boardman in our best interest, that’s what we care about. We care about the success of Boardman.
      “Getting these renewals passed in May is our first concern because as Jason (Loree) said, if those don’t pass, we’re having a completely different conversation,” Yacovone said.