City Council

Public Safety Levy Information and Resources

We feel it is critical that every voter is armed with the information needed to make a good decision for Bellbrook.  To do that, we are committed to being 

Open, Honest, and Transparent

and will provide factual and accurate information about the City at any level.  Review this page to get the facts you need to make a critical financial decision at the ballot.  If you receive misinformation from an anonymous source, or you have questions regarding the Public Safety Levy, 

Get The Facts by contacting the City directly at 937-848-4666, or visit and review this page.

The Basics:

On November 4, voters of the City of Bellbrook will be asked to vote on an ISSUE that would allocate 2.2 mills  of funding for the specific purpose of Public Safety Services.  That means the funds can only be used for Police, Fire, and EMS.   It will generate $610,000 for the City to cover the current shortfall of funds purposed for:

  • Critical Police Operations Subsidy of $420,000
  • Critical Fire/EMS Operations Subsidy of $190,000

The 2.2 mill levy would cost $77 per $100,000 of appraised value. 

Click the chart above for Greene County Auditor data

Click HERE to view the County Auditor Certification

12.5% Rollback Credit is provided to homeowners for existing millage and will not be affected with placement of the additional 2.2 mills. 

What is a "Mill"? One mill is one-thousandth of a dollar, or one-tenth of a cent - $0.001 A mill is equal to $1 of tax for every $1,000 of Assessed Value.  The assessed value is 35% of the Appraised value. 

For details on Real Estate Taxes in Ohio, CLICK HERE to view former Greene County Auditor David Graham's description.

The Need:

The City has answered to the community's needs by providing a high level of public safety services creating a desirable and safe community.

The City is not asking to grow or expand public safety services.  This is a status-quo plan of action to maintain the current level of public safety services.

The proposed levy allows the City to maintain public safety service levels and maintain a fiscally responsible General Fund.

Each year the need to subsidize Public Safety Services has increased and as a result has depleted the Police and Fire Reserve Funds.

Fund History

Bellbrook is at a Crossroads 

IF IT PASSES:

  • Fire and EMS will be able to maintain the current levels of service and personnel
  • Police will be able to maintain the current levels of service and personnel
  • Response times for Public Safety services will remain the same
  • The Public Safety Fund will be created to restrict use of the $610,000 revenue solely for Fire, EMS. and Police
  • No reduction in the Interior Street Paving Program or storm water and drainage improvements
  • Maintain an operational budget that has only increased 0.4% since 2020  

IF IT FAILS:

  • The City will need to reduce $600,000 in annual funding from existing Public Safety Services to keep the overall budget balanced.

  • $189,500 in annual cuts to Fire/EMS services

    • Significant reduction of service delivery due to loss of 2 fire/EMS personnel in addition to currently vacant positions.
    • Longer response times
    • Cuts to programs and services provided by the Fire Department
  • $285,500 in annual cuts to Police services
    • Significant reduction of service delivery due to loss of 3 police personnel in addition to currently vacant positions.
    • Longer response times
    • Cuts to programs and services provided by the Police Department
  • $125,000 in annual cuts from General Funded Capital Projects
    • Reduced Interior Street Paving Program, reduced storm water improvement and maintenance

Click HERE to view the full detailed list of reductions

What The Public Safety Funds Will Provide - Promises made...Promises kept

The proposed Ballot ISSUE to consider 2.2 mills for Public Safety Services is estimated to provide $610,000 of funding to the city solely for Police and Fire public safety services.   This equates to about 16% of the needed funding to continue current service levels and maintain police and fire services.  That means that at the current funding for existing public safety services, 16% is subsidized from and depleting the City's General Fund. 

The General Fund is required to maintain a contigency balance to meet Government Accounting Standards and to maintain good standing for State audits.  Those standards and the City's financial status cannot be maintained with continued subsidy depletion from the General Fund. 

 

When talking about funding for specific public safety and city services and the reductions necessary if funding is not maintained, it is always a double-edged sword.  The city is committed to being specific and not vague, making sure all information is provided for an informed decision for voters to determine what level of public safety services they want for their city.

The following is a breakdown of how those funds are used:

POLICE EXPENSE BUDGET CATEGORIES

  • $1,446,307 Wages and Compensation
  • $519,163 Fringe Benefits
  • $308,701 Contract Services
  • $102,560.85 Supplies and Materials
  • $8,675 Other Expenses
Annual Police Fund Revenue $1,972,950
Annual Police Expense Budget $2,385,407
Annual Difference/Deficit -$412,457

FIRE EXPENSE BUDGET CATEGORIES

  • $939,966 Wages and Compensation
  • $333,787 Fringe Benefits
  • $239,311 Contract Services
  • $101,504 Supplies and Materials
  • $17,400 Other Expenses
Annual Fire Fund Revenue $1,480,000
Annual Fire Expense Budget $1,631,968
Annual Difference/Deficit -$158,968

 

 

 

Property Tax Distribution

Property tax is the only source of tax revenue for the City of Bellbrook because there is no income tax like most other cities.  The chart to the right details the property tax distribution for residents of Bellbrook. 

The Bellbrook City government only receives 19.6% or 19.6 cents of every dollar in tax paid; however, the City of Bellbrook provides an overwhelming percentage of services provided to and used by its residents, including 100% of public safety services.

Police Chart

 

Fire Chart
Property Tax Distribution

Maintain High Quality Safety and City Services

Keeping our local safety and city services modern and efficient is the key to quality and a city priority. Investing in our safety and city services is necessary to sustain our low crime rate, emergency response times, pedestrian and vehicle safety, and to safeguard property and land to maintain a high quality of life in Bellbrook.  As the needs change for our community, the city needs to continue to be innovative and efficient.

Some key points about our Public Safety Services

  • Fire Department rated in the top 3% nationwide by the Insurance Services Office.
  • Police Department certified by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board.
  • Police Department helps keep Bellbrook as one of the safest communities in the region with low crime rates
  • Both Fire and Police have excellent response times, modern equipment and quality training for keeping up with changing demands in service.
  • Fire and Police provide community safety education and programs to benefit all ages and groups within the community
  • Police and Fire operation funds have not required an increase in revenue since 2011
  • Police and Fire reserve funds have been depleted in order to maintain the current level of public safety services

Fiscal Responsibility

The city prides itself on being fiscally conservative, responsible, and transparent.  For more information on city finances, go to the Finance page.

Conservative Leadership 

  • No additional property tax levies have been passed by the city since 2009.
  • Property tax rates have not changed since the replacement police levy passed in 2011.
  • Bellbrook does not have a city income tax.

Responsible Management

  • Water rates have not increased since 2011.  If rates had been increased just 2% per year, water customers would be paying $40 more per year.
  • Waste collection rates have decreased from $17 per month in 2011.  This has resulted in an average annual savings of $48 per year for residents.
  • Aggressive use of alternative funding such as grants and State funding has benefitted various projects safeguarding as many local tax dollars as possible while still making improvements to the community.

Transparent Reporting

  • The City is dedicated to being a transparent government and all financial records and accounts are openly available for review on the City's Financial Transparency Center
  • The city has a history of clean financial audits.  The city is routinely awarded the Auditor of State Award for clean audits and quality fiscal management and reporting.
  • Financial records such as quarterly updates, annual budgets, and the most recent financial statement are available on the Finance page.

Please review the information on this page, and the links below provide additional resources.

Click HERE to view the City's Finance Home Page