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Special Finance Committee forwards higher 'park and pool' levy to November ballot
Summary
The Special Finance Committee voted to forward a proposal to place a 1.3 park-and-pool levy on the November ballot; proponents say it would free about $150,000 from the general fund for other uses and raise roughly $350,000–$455,000 a year depending on the final rate and wording.
The Special Finance Committee voted to forward a proposal to place a combined "park and pool" levy on the November ballot and to treat the measure as an emergency filing, committee members said at a May 22 meeting.
Fred Fisher, a resident who said he lives at 410 Stevens Court, urged the committee to raise the current levy rate and expand the ballot wording to include parks as well as the swimming pool. Fisher cited 2026 budget figures he said were provided by staff: about $197,000 in the parks budget (excluding the pool), of which roughly $54,000 comes from the cable franchise fee, leaving about $150,000 from the general fund. "If you do the 1.0 or the 0.10, you're talking ... $4.17 a month" on a $50,000 income, Fisher said, adding the higher example would bring in larger revenue. "That's a cup of coffee," he said.
Supporters said the measure would earmark new levy revenue for pool and park operations and maintenance, which would free the general fund for other uses such as vehicle replacement or public-safety equipment. Fisher said the local group Bucyrus First Pack would help market the measure to voters.
Staff and council discussed how ballot language affects use: staff warned that if the ballot is written to specify "pool and parks," auditors will require levy receipts be spent on those items. A staff member also clarified that purchases such as police cruisers would not be written into the ballot language; rather, freeing general-fund dollars would allow the council later to allocate those funds for vehicles in the budget. Caleb (staff) said payroll systems typically begin adjusting within months after passage and that similar levies in past years began generating receipts in July after a spring filing; the measure under discussion would appear on the November ballot and would need filing by an August deadline to meet emergency timelines.
Committee members asked for the source of revenue estimates; Fisher said the figures came from staffer Kaylee. Kaylee later confirmed on the record that "everything looks good." The transcript includes slightly different numeric examples (committee members and staff used several rate and dollar figures in discussion); committee and staff said they would finalize exact ballot wording and the percentage before drafting official language.
Following discussion, a committee member moved -- and another seconded -- to proceed with a "1.3 park pool levy" as an emergency measure for the November ballot. Mr. Spiegel recorded a "yes" vote and other members also indicated agreement; the committee then agreed to forward the proposed levy to the full council and to assist with promotion of the measure.
Mayor Bruce (first name as stated on the record) guaranteed that if voters approve the measure the pool would be open next year, saying, "Yes, I can guarantee you that." The committee adjourned shortly after the vote.
Next steps: staff will draft final ballot language and revenue estimates, the committee will forward the motion to the council for formal placement on the November ballot, and staff noted an August filing window for emergency measures.
