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Brimfield trustees adopt resolutions to put renewal tax levy on May 6 ballot; text and title in minutes differ
Summary
At its Jan. 24 meeting the Brimfield Township Board of Trustees adopted two resolutions to proceed with renewal tax levies for placement on the May 6, 2025 ballot, recording identical first-year revenue estimates and a five-year term; the minutes show a mismatch between each resolution’s header (labeled 'EMS') and the ballot language (which describes street and bridge repairs).
At a Jan. 24 regular meeting, the Brimfield Township Board of Trustees adopted two resolutions directing the township fiscal officer to proceed with placement of renewal tax levies on the May 6, 2025 ballot.
Resolution No. 2025-058, moved by Trustee Sue Fields and seconded by Trustee Nicholas Coia, is recorded in the minutes as proposing a 0.95-mill renewal levy for five years. The minutes say the Portage County Auditor certified that the levy would generate an estimated $546,422 in its first year, an amount the minutes equate to $38.00 for each $100,000 of appraised value. The resolution directs the fiscal officer to certify the resolution and related materials to the Board of Elections at least 90 days before the election.
A second resolution, No. 2025-059, adopted the same day with the same mover and seconder, lists a 1.9-mill rate for five years and records the identical $546,422 first-year revenue estimate and $38.00 per $100,000 figure. Both votes were recorded as: Mike Kostensky absent; Nicholas Coia yea; Sue Fields yea.
The minutes present a notable inconsistency: the printed header for each resolution identifies the subject as a renewal levy "for the purpose of EMS," while the ballot language included in the body of each resolution states the levy is "For the general construction, reconstruction, resurfacing, and repair of streets, roads, and bridges" for the benefit of Brimfield Township. The minutes also reference a prior "resolution of necessity" dated Jan. 8 (the transcript records the date as Jan. 8, 2024), which the fiscal officer is directed to certify along with these resolutions. The minutes do not explain the difference between the header wording and the ballot language, nor do they reconcile the identical revenue estimate paired with two different millage rates.
Fiscal Officer John C. Dalziel is recorded as certifying the resolutions and maintaining copies for public inspection. The next procedural step recorded in the minutes is the fiscal officer’s certification to the Portage County Board of Elections to have the question placed on the May 6, 2025 ballot, contingent on the normal timing and certification requirements.
The board took no public comment on the levy at the meeting and recorded no amendments to the ballot language in the minutes.
