TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - You could see a brand new property tax on the Lucas County ballot this November. County Commissioners will decide Tuesday if you will get a chance to vote on it, but residents are speaking up now.
While some are excited about this first step, residents are hesitant about the proposal.
Officials said this levy is good for a few reasons. It gives Emergency Medical Services the money they need to serve our community, to continue the work on criminal justice reform and to build a new correctional center.
"We see this as an investment of about five dollars a month, $60 a year to do it," said Pete Gerken, Lucas County Commissioner. "Nobody likes new taxes, but what we have to gain far outweighs, we think, the $5 a month."
Taxpayers in Lucas County said they aren't prepared to make a judgment just yet. Some said they still have questions, while others think it's being rushed.
"The city needs these things and I don't have any problem with that," said Terry Thompson, a Toledo resident and Lucas County taxpayer. "It's just that the way it's pushed on us like that. Keep us abreast to what's going on and then we won't have to wait until the last minute to make decisions."
"The first question that comes to mind is where the prison is going to be built?" questioned Cecil Jerome Graham, an Oregon resident and Lucas County taxpayer. "And then what is the impact on the infrastructure for the community that it's going to be built in, will people lose their homes?"
Commissioners said they have purchased contracts for 30 acres in the city of Toledo and will work with the community where the new jail is in.
Toledo's Fire Chief believes this new levy will benefit his department especially as they face new challenges.
"The fire service has become another means of healthcare for those who don't have access to traditional healthcare, the hospitals," said Chief Luis Santiago of the Toledo Fire Department. "So we get challenged every day and more and more demands are coming with more time."
Officials have been trying to get a new jail for close to five years. They believe it will ultimately save taxpayers money.
Lucas County Commissioners will decide if this levy will go on November's ballot Tuesday.
