Column: The truth about Springfield Township road repairs

Kyle Hufford, a candidate for Springfield Township trustee, wrote an article criticizing township road repairs. His article was full of false and misleading statements.

As your township trustees, we feel you need to have the facts concerning the township’s road repair program. The trustees have long recognized the importance of maintaining our roads. In 1996, the trustees proposed and the electors passed the township’s only road levy - a 1-mill levy which generates approximately $500,000 per year. We have been successful in obtaining millions of dollars in state and other grants to repair our roads since 2000. Despite this success, the trustees have recognized that the funds generated by the road levy and grants we have obtained are not sufficient to pay for the cost of repairing all township roads.

On four occasions, the trustees placed on the ballot a levy to address infrastructure and road repair needs. Each levy was narrowly defeated.

Mr. Hufford asserts that the township did not spend money on road repairs before the Joint Economic Development Zone was enacted in 2014. This is not true. The township, in conjunction with grants, has spent on average $1,574,599 per year on road and infrastructure repair since 2000.

In 2014, the township experienced a severe financial crisis as a result of unprecedented state budget cuts whereby Ohio officials kept our tax dollars rather than returning them to local governments, as they had traditionally done. The Board of Trustees showed leadership by placing the JEDZ issue on the ballot and it was approved by the voters.

Mr. Hufford, being forever on the wrong side of every issue, vehemently opposed the JEDZ tax and spearheaded a campaign to oppose it. He predicted financial ruin for the Township if the JEDZ passed, repeatedly misrepresented the facts to voters and even advocated that the township would be better to file bankruptcy. None of his predictions came true and, in fact, new businesses are moving into the township and have invested $14,000,000 since 2014.

The JEDZ has proven to be an effective way to replace the budget cuts enacted by the state while not increasing the tax burden of residents. The JEDZ has brought in more tax revenue than anticipated. Since the township has been receiving JEDZ payments, the township has increased payments for road and infrastructure improvements to $2,226,974 per year, including grants. Additionally, we have initiated an innovative program, whereby we are offering neighborhoods the opportunity to have their roads repaired if a majority of the citizens in the neighborhood agree to a voluntary, annual assessment together with township funding.

This program has been very successful and to date every neighborhood, where the assessment program has been proposed, has overwhelmingly approved the idea.

Forty-six township streets went from a fair to good condition since 2014.

If Mr. Hufford wants to debate the policy decisions of the Board of Trustees, he needs to get the facts first.

Mark Berning is president of the Springfield Township Board of Trustees. The column was also signed by trustees Joe Honerlaw and Gwen McFarlin.