Cleves mayor warns village faces funding shortfall and schedules public levy hearing

Mayor addressed the council about the village’s fiscal outlook, outlining rising public-safety costs, a reduction in prior levy revenue and a projected decline in the general fund that prompted a scheduled public hearing on a possible safety-services levy.

The mayor said the village’s general fund balance rose to about $1.63 million in 2024 but projected a decline in 2025 to approximately $1.41 million. The mayor described recent fire protection contract negotiations with Miami Township: the village administrator secured a lower initial year charge of about $360,000 (reduced from a previously requested $412,000), but the mayor said the village’s general fund will still need to subsidize significant portions. The mayor gave multi-year subsidy projections the administration had prepared: in fiscal 2025 a general-fund subsidy of roughly $222,847; for 2026 the fire contract cost to the village could be about $381,600 with the general-fund supplement near $245,437; and in 2027 contract costs could rise to roughly $401,006 with estimated supplemental general-fund support of about $265,000.

On the sheriff’s patrol contract the mayor said the village’s subsidy was increasing as well; council was told the village receives roughly $82,000 in revenue per mill of levy and that a recent 7-mill proposal in 2023 failed. The mayor stressed that the village has lost roughly $270,000 in annual revenue since a failed renewal and that failure to identify new revenue could lead the village toward insolvency and even dissolution under state law if required services cannot be maintained.

To give residents an opportunity to review options, the mayor scheduled a public hearing during the regular finance committee meeting on June 25 at 7 p.m.; the mayor said the hearing will present levy options (examples used at the meeting included 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 mills) with certified revenue amounts so council and residents can evaluate choices before an August certification deadline for the ballot. The mayor also asked for residents to form a volunteer levy committee to handle outreach and fundraising; council members were told they could not use village funds to promote the levy but could participate as private citizens.

Mayor closed by stressing every dollar from a safety-services levy would be dedicated to police and fire services, and said council will provide transparent figures — including how different millage rates would translate into revenue — at the public hearing.