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Residents praise service crews and urge income-tax vote as council weighs infrastructure needs
Summary
Residents praised the village service department for post-flood cleanup and pressed the council to consider a 1% income tax to fund repairs and potential increases in policing costs when the sheriff's contract renews; one speaker said the county subsidy for police could be withdrawn in 2027.
Multiple residents used the public-comment period to defend village employees and press council to act on aging infrastructure and finances.
Kevin Richardson described 17 workdays of service-department work after flooding — mowing, hauling about 30 loads of debris, spreading roughly seven tons of hot-mix asphalt to fill puddles, ball-field repairs, tree-branch removals and multiple other tasks. He said the water truck cost the village "over $700 a day" and urged the council to formally recognize staff efforts and document lessons learned for future celebrations and storm responses.
Chuck Burkholtz praised council responsiveness and raised fiscal concerns. He said an audit contact, Tim Steiner, provided corrected numbers on a prior flyer and offered assistance for future analysis, and he warned the council that a Hamilton County subsidy for policing could be withdrawn when the sheriff's contract ends in 2027. "If it is not subsidized in 2027, the total cost for those communities is $2,100,000, of which Cleve's portion in 2028 would be $503,000," Burkholtz said, urging the council to plan and consider placing a 1% income tax on the ballot to fund repairs (he specifically urged taking quick action to repair Edgefield if new revenue is approved).
Council members acknowledged the points and discussed broader funding challenges — including limited surpluses from recent short-term levies — and signaled intent to continue studying revenue options. No formal vote occurred at the meeting because the council had announced there would be no forum for final actions.
Speakers also noted the interdependence of municipal services and outside entities (townships, school-district bus traffic) and emphasized the need for transparent, accurate public information in outreach materials.
