Huber Heights residents have approved an income tax increase to be used to support police, fire and public safety. That’s among several city tax increases that passed in the Miami Valley.
Huber Heights was looking at a $2.3 million shortfall for the year, and officials say they have been using a combination of small cuts and its reserves to actually run the city and its services. But City Manager Rob Schommer says that fund was about to go dry.
He says the .25 percent tax increase on earned income will go into a pot of dedicated money meant for public safety. Schommer says this won’t fix everything, but it’s a start.
“We knew right away that we are not going to tax ourselves out of this financial situation. Because it was more than just a taxing effect. The effect of the economy, the effect of governmental changes at the state level, has created a lot of the gaps or the deficits,” he said.
In addition to a long list of renewals, a few other cities in the area went to voters for new or additional money for city services. Piqua also approved an increase in its earned income tax, and Beavercreek residents narrowly approved an additional property tax levy for parks—so narrowly, in fact, there will likely be a recount.