Third time not the charm; City leaders, residents react to rejected Beavercreek income tax

BEAVERCREEK — The third time was not the charm for the City of Beavercreek’s push to get voters to pass a one percent income tax.

Beavercreek is one of three cities in Ohio that does not have an income tax.

City leaders and residents reacted to the “vote no” response.

“We thought we’d get over the hump this time and actually, we went the other way around,” Beavercreek Mayer Bob Stone told News Center 7′s Haley Kosik.

55 percent of voters were against the income tax, which was a three percent increase from when they said “no” in 2020.

Stone said city leaders listened to residents on what to change and made the adjustments.

“Not a single thing. Nothing was adjusted. The structure was the exact same,” Auston Hensley, Beavercreek resident, said.

Hensley runs the Facebook page “Vote No Beavercreek Income Tax”.

City officials told News Center 7 this year’s income tax proposed a 50 percent further reduction in property taxes, compared to 2020′s.

“What I see is a one percent income tax is essentially an $18 million slush fund,” Hensley said.

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City council members put it on the ballot saying the new tax would lower property taxes and increase services.

But Stone said now they will be unable to get the resources they “desperately need”.

“It will not give us the five new officers we so desperately need, it will not give us the five new public works employees we so desperately need,” Stone said.

The city will not generate the money it said it needs to pay for improvements for things like roads and sewers.

“The retirees would have handed themselves a tax break and the working families and businesses would have paid up,” Hensley said.

Stone said with outrageous inflation rates to add another “burden” is a lot and that could have possibly been why voters shot it down.

Stone said leaders will go back to the drawing board, he isn’t sure whether or not they will try for a fourth time to pass the levy.

“I would encourage everyone, city council, retired members and those who are opposed to it to come together in the next few weeks or months. Let’s have some real constructive proposals. Let’s get some good ideas on the table,” Henley said.

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