Mineral City seeks first income tax increase since 1950s

A public meeting was held Sept. 29 at the Mineral City fire station to inform residents about the proposed 1% income tax increase that will be on the November ballot. This will be the first time the village has asked for an income tax increase since one the original tax was approved by residents in the 1950s, according to Mayor Laurie Green.

“We’re not here to tell people which way to vote,” said Green. “All we can do is give you the information and hope residents support their town.”

According to Green, Mineral City has one of the lowest tax rates in Tuscarawas County, but the village simply has to find new sources of revenue. Green said asking for an income tax would be more equitable to all residents than asking to increase property taxes.

“An income tax focuses on folks that are working,” said Green. “We don’t want to place an additional tax burden on our residents who are 65 and older and aren’t working.”

Green also said an income tax will not affect those who are retired or who are on disability.

Fiscal Officer Becky Carpenter prepared informational flyers outlining how the current income tax revenue is spent and how the increased amount will be used should the measure pass.

The plan is to allocate 75% to the general fund, which pays for utilities, insurance and payroll, among other expenses. The remaining 25% will go into the street fund for the construction, maintenance and repair of village infrastructure.

“When we ask for money from citizens, we know what we’re asking,” said Green. “We also live here, and we have family members that live and work here, so we’re not asking something of people that we’re not also asking of ourselves.”

Money is tight everywhere

One reason for tight budgets, according to Green, is the aging of populations, not just in Mineral City but everywhere. What’s more, Ohio’s municipalities are having to work with about half the funding they used to receive from the state.

Councilman Rick Cain said those funding cuts are really hurting local governments and have been since 2010.

“What happened is, John Kasich was governor of Ohio at the time, and he ran on a campaign of balancing the budgets,” said Cain. “The way he balanced it was on the backs of local communities by taking away about a lot of our state funding. That money has never come back.”

As evidence, Cain pointed to the fact that the village’s total annual income was a little over $500,000 prior to 2015, but in 2024 was just $297,745.

Carpenter added that the village sees very little of the property taxes residents pay.

“Information from the county auditor shows that property tax on a $100,000 is $1,894. Out of that, Mineral City gets only $353.57.”

Seeking revenue elsewhere

The figures presented show a deficit in the village’s annual budget. Expenses last year totaled more than $325,000 set against an income of roughly $297,00. This has forced the village to seek alternative forms of revenue, such as grant funding for specific projects, and it’s still not enough, according to Green.

“We just got involved with another grant through the Tuscarawas Economic Development Corporation,” said Green. “The grant was approved, so the village will share a $100,000 grant with 12 other municipalities in the county.”

Green said council would like to use the funds to bring in city planners to help determine how and where to build housing for older people.

Green also pointed to the grants that are fully funding the new village park. “The idea is to build up the village so we attract more families who want to live here.”

For more information on the proposed income tax increase, contact the mayor’s office at 330-859-2222. The public is also encouraged to attend council meetings the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 5 p.m.