The Dayton community group trying to get a levy on the November ballot to help fund a public hospital is back to collecting signatures — again.
This comes after Dayton city commissioners deadlocked on whether or not to put the levy before the voters.
To get a proposed 1 mill property tax levy on the ballot, three Dayton city Commissioners must vote in favor of it.
During the July 23 public hearing on this matter in City Hall, Bishop Richard Cox urged the members to vote in favor of this effort.
"Don’t turn your back on us, don’t forsake us," Cox said. "This is a workable situation if we walk together and walk it through."
Cox is part of the Clergy Community Coalition. It’s spearheading a initiative to raise $20 million over a decade to purchase land and begin the process of building a public hospital. The effort stems back to when Good Samaritan Hospital closed in 2019.
However, when it came time for the city commissioners to vote, only two officials approved moving the measure forward.
Commission explains their votes
Mayor Jeffrey Mims, Jr. and Commissioner Shenise Turner-Sloss voted in favor. Commissioner Darryl Fairchild abstained for conflict of interest. He is a chaplain at Dayton Childrens Hospital. Commissioners Matt Joseph and Christopher Shaw voted against the proposed property tax levy.
Shaw described the effort as irresponsible.
"I feel like I am representing residents and making this vote against this hospital ballot initiative," Shaw said.
"There has been no site identified for this project. The funding is woefully insufficient. I just think it's unfair for Dayton residents to have to pay for a hospital for folks that would use it outside of Dayton, in Trotwood and Harrison Township. I just think it's a bad model."
The new federal tax and spending law also makes significant cuts and changes to Medicaid, which Shaw said could make this project "unrealistic and unsustainable."
He’s also worried putting this measure on the November ballot will detract voter support from the Human Services renewal levy already on the ballot.
Joseph said he was uncomfortable with the vagueness of the proposal.
"When we go out for a tax increase here in the city, we hold ourselves to a really high standard. We make sure everybody knows exactly where the money's gonna go, what the plan is, what our goals are for the money," Joseph said. "You lay out the partnerships, you lay out where the dollars are going to go, you set out the goals and how they're going to be measured. This did not have most of those elements. I know that folks talk about partnerships, but without having those on paper, it's not the right time to go to ballot. It's not right time ask our residents to sacrifice."
Clery Community Coalition secretary Nancy Kiehl disagrees and believes others will join on once they see a solid commitment from Dayton's leadership and residents.
"Taxes start to be collected that shows other partners we are vested and that we are bringing $20 million to the table over ten years. So other partners will definitely step up because this is a model for future hospitals," she said. "We're trying to create a template and if we frame it that way then I strongly believe that we will get the county on board, we will get this state on board and we will get private funders."
Meanwhile Turner-Sloss contends Dayton residents should be allowed to decide the fate of the initiative.
"It is an opportunity to let the people's voice be heard, to make the decision. Let them decide. That is a part of our democracy," Turner-Sloss said. "Local government is, in fact, the bedrock of our democracy. We have to protect that."
Back to collecting signatures
There's still a path forward to get the levy on the ballot.
Between July 24 and Aug 11, the coalition must collect 1,250 new signatures from registered voters who live in Dayton. These will be people who have not signed any of the three previously circulated petitions.
Once the coalition has the new batch, they will make a written demand upon the Clerk of Commission to send the signatures to the Montgomery County Board of Elections for verification.
If that body confirms 1,250 valid signatures, then the 1 mill property tax levy will bypass Dayton’s City Commission and appear on the November 2025 ballot.
After the commission meeting, Turner-Sloss took a packet, declaring she would also collect signatures.
Bishop Cox is not discouraged. He said the demolition of Good Samaritan Hospital in 2019 created a dangerous health desert in northwest Dayton, a situation he's committed to changing.
""People who are disabled, people who are poor, people who are underinsured have a hard time getting medical services and when that happens, they don't go to the hospital at all," he said.
Retired nurse Susan Stanton is also a coalition volunteer. She said the group has strong community support and is optimistic.
"I think people are very dedicated so I think we will get the signatures we need," Staton said. "The thing is we’ve only got a month to do it."
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