Issue would continue tax at current rate, with new allocation for sheriff’s office
Logan County voters are being asked in the Tuesday, Nov. 2, election to renew a 0.5 percent sales tax for county roads, bridges and safety through a levy that has been in place since 1997, and has enabled the county to effectively and efficiently maintain its local highway system, Logan County Engineer Scott Coleman said.
Since 1997, more than $51 million has been invested in county and township roads and bridges, and 157 bridges have been rehabbed or replaced. Also since 2007, $7.1 million has been received for village and Bellefontaine roads and bridges.
The ballot issue is proposed on a five-year basis, and current funds would expire in June of 2022 if it is not renewed.
Prior to the Logan County roads and bridges sales tax levy, many of the county roadways were falling apart and some were in an almost gravel-like state, Coleman said.
“We spent more than 5,700 person hours patching pavement in 1997,” he said, also noting that 114 bridges needed replaced at that time. “It’s been a tremendous effort to get to this place that we’re at today, where we’ve been able to expand the roads and bridges funding so that it stretches to the county, townships and municipalities.”
In addition to funding local roadway and bridge improvements, new for this levy would be an allocation each year to the Logan County Sheriff’s Office.
Currently, the Logan County Engineer’s Office receives 50 percent of the levy funds to maintain county roads and bridges. If the renewal levy is approved, this portion of funds would be split between the LCSO and the Engineer’s Office, with each entity receiving 25 percent of the funds.
“During the last renewal period, our sheriff’s office has identified a compelling need for additional funds related to public safety,” Coleman said. “With the local needs of our sheriff’s office in mind, the Engineer’s Office has agreed to split our portion of the renewed 0.5 percent sales tax equally.”
The remainder of the sales tax for this renewal levy would be divided as follows: township roads, bridges and storm water improvements, 20 percent; municipal roads, bridges and storm water improvements, 20 percent; and land use/economic development, 10 percent.
Coleman related that the levy directly benefits capital projects, including roads and bridges and associated materials throughout the county, townships and municipalities.
The levy does not fund salaries or general operating expenses of the Engineer’s Office.
Similarly for the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, capital improvements proposed with the levy funding includes such items as: $316,000 for car and body cameras, $300,000 for 911 operations annually; $265,000 for radio systems; $265,000 for records management system; $125,000 for communications center; $85,000 for inmate care annually; and $30,000 for jail door control systems.
Through the past levy funding, all of the county roads have been resurfaced with an intermediate and surface course of paving. To continue this course, Coleman said plans for renewal levy funds include maintaining and preserving the current system by adding 1.5 inches of asphalt to reach a thickness of 5 inches on all roads.
In addition, the Engineer’s Office plans to resurface major collector roads in 2025 and 2026, resurface all roads on a 35 plus year cycle, reconstruct roads damaged by heavy vehicles, and to rehab the historic iron truss bridge on County Road 21 in 2024.
Pavement preservation sealants also are planned on all resurfacing projects, and the Engineer’s Office will continue the rehabilitation, preservation and protective coating of all bridges.
Coleman said the county continues to “aggressively seek federal and state grant funds to supplement the highway and sales tax funds.” Through 2020, more than $23.6 million in grants has been received for county, township and village projects.
In addition, for the long-term economic development and land use planning portion of the funding, the levy supports projects through the Logan County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development, Logan Soil and Water Conservation District, OSU Extension Office, Logan-Union-Champaign Regional Planning Commission and the Logan County Agricultural Society.
For further details regarding the levy, visit the “Citizens for Better Roads” Facebook page.