Delaware Forward

Today is election day! Polls are open from 6:30 am to 7:30 pm. If you haven’t already voted, make sure you're informed about Issue 3 and its impact on our city. For polling locations and more information, visit our website: www.delawareohio.net/issue3

As Election Day approaches, we’re grateful to our community for engaging with the facts about Issue 3 and our city’s needs. Together, we’re building for Delaware’s future — one that’s safe, connected, and resilient for everyone.

Whether you’ve already taking advantage of early voting or planning to cast your vote on Tuesday, we appreciate your commitment to making Delaware a better place.

Here’s to Delaware’s future, built by us all!

Learn more: www.delawareohio.net/issue3

An interesting look at what happens when cities don't have the funding for basic services in other cities

https://www.fox47news.com/neighborhoods/delhi-township-holt-and-southside-lansing/neighbors-in-holt-feel-frustration-over-the-condition-of-roads?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR31s5hvmWO2IwQy7SB8_ypXxITg5PdWNaH2tYbZsZjR39qV61KlMXMaoUQ_aem_xR5GHy5A_EmoEQ-N2uPP3w

Neighbors in Holt feel frustration over the condition of roads According to local leaders, there is not a budget in place for road resurfacing. Which leaves it up to people in our neighborhoods to pay for the project. Click the link to learn more.

As we get closer to election day information can get jumbled. When considering your vote on issue 3, think about the following facts:
1. The City primarily gets operating money from income tax. It is currently one of the lowest in Central Ohio despite offering higher levels of service than other cities in the area
2. All of Central Ohio is growing. Whether growth occurs inside city limits or outside, it will continue to impact our infrastructure and having the funds to fix our streets will help to lessen the impact.
3. This is the third time in ten years that the City has asked for a roads tax issue. Failure this time will require the City to find the money elsewhere, which would be elimination of the tax credit for those that work outside the City. It isn't a threat, but a reality of what is needed to repair our oldest roads and catch up with repairs. Just like our own homes, ignoring maintenance results in higher costs to fix larger problems.
4. All financial reports and information are readily available on the City website along with a citizen's review committee's report. The transparency of financial reporting has been recognized for years.

A Yes vote is a vote for a better future for Delaware. It takes all of us to continue to make Delaware great place to live. Having adequate city services and roads is a major part of this.

Keep an eye on your mailbox this week! City Manager Paul Brake has written a letter to City of Delaware residents with important information about the upcoming November 5 election. The letter provides details on two ballot issues—Issue 2, which proposes changes to the City Charter, and Issue 3, the proposed income tax increase to support street repairs and capital improvements.

This letter is part of our effort to ensure residents are well-informed when heading to the polls. Be sure to read through it and visit our website for more information on these important issues: www.delawareohio.net.

One of the main arguments we hear about Issue 3 is that Delaware should just stop growing. Issue 3 will fix roads that we all use regardless of where we live and would have been needed much sooner without growth funding repairs and reconstruction in the past. That said, you do have a voice in how the city is growing: Check out this information for more on the zoning code, focus areas, and how you can get involved. https://www.delawareohio.net/Home/Components/News/News/913/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Why can't the city just cut spending and live within it's means? This question is asked by citizens and has been asked by the City itself, City Council, and independent audit, and an independent Citizens Financial Review Task Force. The conclusion of all is that if we want to City to continue to provide the services we have, there is nothing left to cut.

For example: The City Engineering Department, which is responsible for road maintenance, snow removal, road construction and inspections, trash pickup, the airport, traffic lights, sidewalk maintenance, bridges, streetlights, and much more operates with a full time staff of ten people.

Right now, with a small staff and a small budget, the department has to rely on grants, contract work (which can be more expensive than doing things in house), pushing costs on to homeowners (sidewalk replacements in some cases), but more often than not, since there is little funding for preventative maintenance, non-grant funded projects end up delayed indefinitely or dealt with only when there are emergencies (sinkholes, etc.).

If cuts are made we end up with
a. more dangerous roads and bridges that continue to deteriorate, leading at best to more expensive repairs later and at worst to dangerous conditions for residents
b. reduced services like trash, snow removal, streetlight replacements,

In short, the city's budget is closer to a yes/no proposition for services because of how tightly the budget is managed and stretched to make sure tax dollars are spent as efficiently as possible.

If Issue 3 is approved by voters, the new municipal income tax rate would rise from 1.85 to 2.30 percent. You can calculate the impact by using our online tax calculator at www.delawareohio.net/yourvote2024. From the "Calculate The Cost" dropdown:
* Enter your annual earned income (numbers only) by double-clicking the “Enter Earned Income" box
* Select the city you work in from the dropdown
Once you enter your information, the result will appear in the "Changes in Taxes Owed" box.

Speaking of businesses, why can’t we get more ____
Commercial and industrial businesses have employees that pay income tax to the city, which reduces the burden on existing residents. As of now, there are two major issues with businesses and attracting them to the city
There are not many “build ready” sites in Delaware. In order to attract high earning businesses to take on a share of the tax bill *cough* like Dublin *cough* there have to be places for them to locate. Right now the industrial park along 42 has numerous spots zoned for commercial use, but they aren’t accessible without the city investing in infrastructure like roads and sewer lines. Some progress is being made now like the extension of Sawmill Parkway, but more is needed. Businesses often request incentives like property tax abatements or infrastructure from cities in order to locate there, which cost money to the city and agencies that receive property taxes like our schools. In order to attract businesses and not adversely impact other groups, the city needs to have some money to invest in the process. This is another example of small investments saving us money over time.
Most of Delaware leaves the city each day. More than ¾ of us get in cars each day and drive out of the City to work. Wherever we work, we most likely pay income taxes to that city. Currently, the city offers a tax credit for a portion of the money we pay to other cities so we aren’t being double income taxed. In effect this means that ¾ of the income tax the city receives is reduced from what it could be, lowering the amount that can be reinvested in the community or used to attract new businesses. In order to make the repairs to roads and infrastructure that are desperately needed, we as residents are left with two choices.
Approve the levy to share the cost among all employed residents that pay income tax
Reduce or eliminate the tax credit we get when we work in other places, leaving the 75% of us leaving the city to pay for the repairs.