Voters in many Geauga County communities will be presented with one or more renewal levies during the Nov. 5 general election. Four of those renewal levies are on the ballot in Chester Township. According to the Geauga County Elections Board, the levies are: • A continuing, 1.5-mill renewal levy for streets, roads and bridges. If approved, the Geauga County Auditor’s Office said that the levy would continue to cost taxpayers $15 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $306,000 per year. • A continuing, 2.5-mill renewal levy for streets, roads and bridges. If approved, the Auditor’s Office said that the levy would continue to cost taxpayers $57 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $937,000 per year. • A continuing, 0.5-mill renewal levy for police. If approved, the Auditor’s Office said that the levy would continue to cost taxpayers $6 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $118,000 per year. • A continuing, 2.5-mill renewal levy for police. If approved, the Auditor’s Office said that the levy would continue to cost taxpayers $16 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $345,000 per year. Renewal levies do not increase tax revenue. “These levies generate the same tax dollars each year as the year they were originally voted on,” said Chester Township Trustee Ken Radtke Jr. in an email. “They are and will be used to fund existing operations. The majority of expenses are personnel related costs but these levy dollars are used for material and equipment as well.” Radtke said that the smaller road levy was initially passed in 1990, while the larger road levy was first approved by voters in 2016. “Combined, this represents more than half of the Road Department’s levied dollars,” he said. “With escalating material and equipment costs, the passage of these levies is vitally important to maintain a base level of funding for our road maintenance and repair program to protect these valuable assets and ensure our residents have safe roads to travel.” Radtke added that the smaller police levy was first approved in 1991, while the larger one was first approved in 1980. He said those levies make up more than 20 percent of the township police department’s annual funding. “The majority of expenses in the police department are personnel related costs, so passage of these renewal levies (no tax increases) is important to keeping multiple patrol officers on our streets,” he said. If the levies pass, Radtke said that the township would “continue with normal operations.” If any of those levies do not pass, Radtke said that the township can place them back on the ballot in 2025. “If they fail in 2025, then significant staffing and service reductions would likely be necessary,” Radtke said. “It is certainly the board of trustees hope the voters recognize the importance of these levies to meet the levels of service our residents expect and deserve.” There were 8,007 registered voters in Chester Township as of Oct. 28, according to the Geauga County Elections Board. A culvert on West Shiloh Drive in Chester Township is pictured while under construction as part of a 2022 project. (Courtesy of John Onyshko) The following renewal levies are on the ballot in other Geauga County communities. Ballot information came from the Geauga County Elections Board and tax numbers came from the Geauga County Auditor’s Office: Berkshire Local Schools: Five-year, 2.5-mill renewal levy for improvement of school sites, which would cost taxpayers $22 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $439,000 per year. Burton Township: Five-year, 1.25-mill renewal levy for fire and EMS, which would cost taxpayers $24 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $112,000 each year. Burton Village: Four-year, 2.25-mill renewal levy for fire and EMS, which would cost taxpayers $57 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $71,000 each year. Chardon Township: Three-year, 1.25-mill renewal levy for fire and EMS, which would cost taxpayers $36 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $233,000 each year. Hambden Township: Five-year, 0.25-mill renewal levy for parks and recreation, which would cost taxpayers $5 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $32,000 each year. Huntsburg Township: Five-year, 1.5-mill renewal levy for streets, roads and bridges, which would cost taxpayers $27 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $97,000 per year. Middlefield Village: Five-year, 2-mill renewal levy for police, which would cost taxpayers $51 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $199,000 per year. Montville Township: Five-year, 2.4-mill renewal levy for fire and EMS, which would cost taxpayers $37 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $100,000 per year. Munson Township: Continuing, 0.65-mill renewal levy for fire and EMS, which would cost taxpayers $9 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $112,000 per year. Munson Township: Continuing, 1.75-mill renewal levy for fire and EMS, which would cost taxpayers $34 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $425,000 per year. South Russell Village: Five-year, 2.75-mill renewal levy for police, which would cost taxpayers $51 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $425,000 per year. Thompson Township: Four-year, 1.75-mill renewal levy for fire and EMS, which would cost taxpayers $41 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $102,000 per year. Troy Township: Five-year, 4.5-mill renewal levy for fire and EMS, which would cost taxpayers approximately $76 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $238,000 per year. Chardon Township voters who reside in the Riverside School District and Thompson Township voters who reside in the Madison School District will also consider renewal of the five-year, 4.9-mill Lake County School Financing District levy. The Lake County Auditor’s Office said that if approved, the school financing district levy would cost taxpayers $59 annually per $100,000 in property valuation and raise approximately $6,018,000 per year. A representative of the Geauga County Elections Board confirmed that two renewal levies that were originally expected to go before voters are not on the Nov. 5 ballot. Those levies would have funded Geauga County Job and Family Services and Hambden Township’s streets, roads and bridges.