PIQUA — Piqua’s 10-year, 0.25 percent street levy was renewed, with 71.55 percent of voters in favor of the levy, according to unofficial election results on Tuesday.
There were 1,459 votes cast for the levy and 580 votes against the levy.
Piqua Mayor Kris Lee said Tuesday night that he was “very excited” about the ballot results, saying it assures Piqua streets will continue to see improvements for the next 10 years.
“I’m just happy that it passed,” Lee said.
In December, the Piqua City Commission approved sending this levy, which has been in place since 1991, to voters for a renewal. The 0.25 percent portion of the city’s income tax generates approximately $1.3 million per year for streets. The city has been able to resurface over 117 lane miles in the last 10 years for a total cost of approximately $6.7 million thanks to the street levy.
The city utilizes these funds to leverage grant money for street infrastructure projects, providing the local match for various grant opportunities. Since 2010, the city has been able to secure over $14 million in grant funding to match this approximate $13 million the city has bee collecting.
The city has been able to use these funds to complete the following street projects: the East Ash Street reconstruction, the Wayne Street streetscape, the County Road 25-A phase 2 and phase 3 reconstructions, the College Street signal project, the Fountain Park bridge rehabilitation project, the Safe Routes to School project, the North Main Street streetscape project, the Commercial Street connector project, the Garbry-Looney roundabout project, and the East Ash Street separated bike lane project.
Residents with an earned income of $30,000 a year will pay an additional $75 per year or $1.44 per week. Income tax is not collected on income from Social Security, pensions, unemployment benefits, military pay, public assistance, or alimony received. Interest, dividends, and capital gains are not taxed as part of this income tax. According to a fact sheet provided by the city of Piqua, over 70 percent of people working in the city of Piqua do not live in the city and come from outside communities. These are the individuals who would be paying most of the street fund levy.
Without the street levy, the city would only be able to do routine maintenance, like pothole patching, with little to no resurfacing.
