Russ for Ross

In case anyone was wondering what was going on at the Ross Police Station Friday night, Hollywood has come to Ross. I would like to thank Greg Siewny and Lana Read for choosing the Ross Township Police department to shoot scenes for the upcoming movie “Waters Edge”, starring Michael Pire’ (Eddie, from Eddie and the Cruisers). They could have chosen any department in the area, but said Ross was the perfect choice for their movie. Scenes were also shot at Hueston Woods. A special thank you to our police officers for taking their own personal time and making our department look great on camera as well as the officers who manned the station while the others worked in the film. Several members of our Police department had prominent roles as well as speaking parts. When the film debuts, keep an eye out for some of your Ross neighbors that were used as extras.

I would like to share some information on the state of our township. Permit me to first digress and share a little background. In July 2021, I led a group of residents with the goal of keeping Ross, Ross. That became a phrase used over and over again. According to the timeline in my possession, the start of the real engineering for the construction project at Burns Farm was December 2021. The former developer ridiculed me for not being very smart. I was warned by others about the destruction of our town and school system. After spending numerous hours on the subject and giving careful contemplation to the future of Ross, I decided to make an attempt to become a township Trustee. Two years later, with the help of my family, friends, and neighbors in Ross, that happened.

I would like to say thank you for allowing me to serve in the position that I do. It is my honor and pleasure to do so, and it is a responsibility that I take very seriously.

Since July 2021, we have stopped the NCA which was the mechanism through which the old developer said he needed to make the project work—a project that included up to two hotels. We have also dissolved the JEDD, which was a partnership with the City of Hamilton to help foster development in Ross, that was said to be necessary due to the Spooky Nook facility in Hamilton. I never bought that hype. The JEDD would have cost the property owners in that area of Ross an additional 2% tax. Now, the Burns property has been purchased by someone locally and for the time being, will remain farmland. Sure, it may be developed in the future, but it will be done in accordance with the Ross Township Land Use Plan, which incidentally is being reviewed right now. When it is developed, it will not be on the backs of the taxpayers.

Ross Township has a new Fire Chief, Chris Johns, a new Police Chief, Robert Gerhardt, a new Superintendent of Schools, Dr. William Rice, and a new school board. You have supported our police department with the approval of tax levies, one of which made our police department permanent. To say that there have been wholesale changes in the past two years would be an understatement.

Our township is managed by Administrator, Laurie Kile, who does an excellent job coordinating literally everything, in the township. The township is in a good financial position largely due to you electing Fiscal Officer, Julie Joyce Smith, whose knowledge of not only township, but county finances is second to none. Road Superintendent, Paul Bulach and his team keep our township roads clean, safe and in great condition.

Our school system is the best in Butler County and one of the best in the state and country. They currently find themselves in a good financial position.

The Police, Fire and Road departments are doing an exceptional job of keeping our township an incredible place to live.

Someone I respect said they would agree with me 95% of the time. It’s the 5% that I continue to strive to achieve. I may not live up to every single expectation of every single person, but rest assured, when I walk into that room to discuss township business, my singular focus will always be “what’s best for the township?”

To sum it up, the state of our township is strong and getting stronger. I believe that our township, simply put, is a great place to live, work and raise a family. Thank you to the residents of Ross for electing people you trust to take care of your township. And, thank you to all of the people who work so hard to keep this township and the surrounding area such a beautiful place to live.

On November 17, 2021, Ross Township and the City of Hamilton entered into a contract known as the Ross-Hamilton JEDD1, affectionately known as the JEDD. The acronym JEDD stands for Joint Economic Development District. The following is a quote from the Journal News, September 28, 2021, just prior to the formal signing.

"Those improvements will be needed because of development that will happen because of Hamilton’s gigantic indoor sports complex expected to open early next year in Hamilton. In creating Ross-Hamilton Joint Economic Development District 1, the township and city agreed that if any hotels are created on the several properties included in the district, those hotels will be required to add a tax to rooms that will help finance parking areas for the $165 million Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill facility. Those who work or live on the properties in the JEDD Ross-Hamilton JEDD will have to pay 2 percent income taxes, the same amount collected by in Hamilton. That will be the funding source for infrastructure improvements, such as new streets, sewers, or utilities. Companies on those properties will pay net profits taxes. The hotel tax will go to Spooky Nook parking, with the idea the sports complex is creating demand for the hotels. As part of their pact, the township agreed to do all it can to incorporate the JEDD areas under jurisdiction of the Hamilton Community Authority, created to raise funding for Spooky Nook parking and other amenities, such as transportation in the area.”

After being appointed and then elected to one of the positions as a Ross Trustee, I spent countless hours with attorneys and development professionals. I poured over case law and the operations of JEDDs in other communities. More importantly, I spent countless hours speaking with the community. The information and opinions in this letter are my personal observations and must not be considered an opinion of either of the other board members or the board as a whole.

Point #1: Spooky Nook has not created a traffic headache in Ross Township.

Point #2. If and when, Spooky Nook develops and matures into what the owners and the City of Hamilton have envisioned, the traffic nightmare that we have all been promised, would first manifest itself in Miamitown due to the traffic flow from Indianapolis, Louisville, and points west of Spooky Nook. I don’t believe Miamitown is prepared for that situation.

Point #3. I talk to a lot of people in Ross, and no one wants one or two hotels around here.

Point #4. Acronyms like JEDD, NCA and TIF and the rest of the alphabet soup of developmental terms are just easy ways to say public funding. They all have their little nuances, but the bottom line is that there are some kind of public funds being used to spur, generate, or assist a private company or developer to build with not just their own money, but with your tax dollars. This JEDD also gives the City of Hamilton, albeit small, a measure of control of our community.

Points # 5a, 5b and 5c. I am not in favor of the Highs. High rises, High density & High taxes. If we have any High Rises, over two stories in height, it creates a logistical issue with our Fire Departments' ability to provide emergency services and would cost the township in excess of 2 million dollars to purchase the equipment to do so. There are conflicting reports of the effect that High density housing has on property value. I do not believe we are in a position to test the theory that apartments in a development will have a positive outcome. Common sense tells me that multifamily housing will increase the burden on our school system whose failed levies lacked the support of the voters in three consecutive elections. At this time, the financial position that the school system finds itself in is strong. With the diligence of the school board and the enthusiasm created by the hiring of Dr. William Rice, our schools are positioned to remain at the top of the Butler County rankings. Keep in mind that is all being done without a large influx of business and commercial development. A student in an apartment does not produce the level of revenue that a student in a single-family home does. High Taxes! Despite our aversion to higher taxes, relatively speaking, Ross township enjoys lower property taxes than our neighbors in more commercially developed areas. Wait a minute! I thought adding commercial development was supposed to keep property taxes down. I checked the Butler County Auditor website and found a house in West Chester built the same year as mine with similar square footage. It sat on a lot less than half the size of mine and their property taxes were 16% HIGHER. That is contradictory to what we are being told about the addition of business and commercial entities—they’re supposed to keep taxes down. Check for yourself, you’ll see that, like for like, the property taxes in areas like West Chester, Colerain, and Mason, despite the enormous amount of businesses, are higher than they are in Ross. Something is going very right, here in Ross.

Point #6. From the start of my involvement with this issue, it has been my experience that a small minority of Ross residents want the type of major development that would inevitably turn Ross Township into areas similar to those where so many have sought to leave behind. So, ask yourself, do you want that type of development here and let me know your answer. I am here to place the will of the people who elected me, first and foremost among anything else that I do. I will make it my responsibility to do as you wish, and I encourage you to email me at [email protected]. Social media tends to get a bit messy so, I don’t wish to begin a debate there. We’ll have a much more productive conversation either speaking face to face or by email.

Three years ago, information and petitions were circulated to raise awareness in an effort to strike a pause as it relates to the developmental plans for Ross. Those petitions still exist and they are filled with over a thousand signatures that were collected in 3 short weeks from a grass roots campaign to show the parties interested in this development that the people of Ross, for various, multifaceted reasons, aren't in favor of bringing this type of development here at this time. I still believe that is the case and it is the driving force of my position on this issue when considering legislation for Ross township. At our urging, the NCA was killed in December 2021 by a unanimous vote of the Butler County Commissioners. The JEDD that was enacted in 2021, was voted on in our most recent trustee meeting and will be dissolved. The reason the NCA was needed in the first place is because as the then developer said, quote “It won’t work financially at the current price the seller is asking for the property, if it’s not going to have the NCA I’m sorry I’m out, I can’t make it work.”

Ross has been here since 1803 and since 1803, Ross residents have supported the needs of Ross Township, that being the Schools, Police, Fire, EMS and Roads. We, as residents, are overwhelmingly the main source of tax funds for our schools and public services. As such, when financial needs arise, it is us that shoulder the lion’s share of the burden. However, it is us who continue to enjoy the Mayberry-esque small town that we all love. It is us who drive home from our jobs in other areas of town to be greeted by the farms and fields of a bedroom community that opens its arms to say, “welcome home.” And, it is us, who have the opportunity to enjoy events like the upcoming Memorial Day parade, Cones, Cops and Cars, the annual Ross High School tractor parade and the bragging rights for the Number 1 rated school district in all of Butler County. All that, despite the lack of major development in the town, we all call home. For now, and until you tell me that you want it to change, it is my intention to follow your will and help keep Ross as it is. So, it is to us I say, well done. The time may come when development becomes a necessary part of our continued existence, but for now, I'm going to grab a glass of tea and enjoy our town just the way it is.

As I sit at my desk at home this morning and read some of the comments from various sources, I thought something needs to be clarified. I am exercising my 1st amendment right and speaking today only as a resident of Ross. I am 100% in favor of the Ross Township Police department. As a resident of Ross, I 100% want a police department that operates right here and cares about it's citizens. I 100% believe that its in the best interest for me and my family to rely on the services provided by the excellent service that the Ross Police Department provides us. I 100% believe it is in the best interest of our township now and moving forward, to permanently provide for our own police protection and not have to pay for the services of the Butler County Sheriff, were as one astute resident have said, "when seconds count, the Butler County Deputy patrol in minutes away". As a resident of Ross, I will 100% support our department and as a neighbor, if you want to talk to me face to face on the street, at IGA, at Eli's or anywhere else, I am happy to do so. Lastly, I 100% support your right to vote your conscience and would love to hear your educated opinion for either side of the issue.

As you are all aware, the State of Ohio Tax Commissioner has imposed a massive revaluation upon the property owners in Butler County. In response, the Butler County Auditor has asked local agencies to "rollback" a portion of the increased property tax millage as a sign of good faith to residents. I want to be completely open and transparent about what that means to all of us. As things stand right now, for the median home with an assessed value of $225,000.00 in Ross Township, the rollback savings would be approximately $1.44 per month. That is the cost of the good faith according to the Auditors ask. So the question that we must answer is, how are all of us best served by the windfall of $1.44/month? Here is how and why we arrived at the decision we made. The Ross Township Road Department does not have a voted tax levy. The Road Department is funded from the townships' inside mills, stemming from the General fund, the Road Fund and the Road/Bridge Fund. Road Superintendent Paul Bulach and his team does an excellent job of making the most out of what they are given to work with. Having said that, with the increases in salary, insurance, petroleum based products, truck and road equipment, fuel, and yes, the purchase of a new road service vehicle to replace one that is 15+ years old so that our streets are kept clean and safe in inclement weather, we must ask ourselves, is it worth it to have those funds available to keep our Road Department operationally strong and avoid a potential Road Levy in the future that would certainly cost more than $1.44/month to the median value home owner?

In my opinion, most agencies that have been charged with this decision are taking a wait and see position to determine what other agencies are going to do. I told everyone that if I were placed in the position of Trustee that I would always be open, transparent and honest with you. I believe in taking the lead on this by doing and saying what I believe to be the right thing for the residents of Ross Township. My colleagues agree. We have decided to notify the Auditors office that we will not be participating in that program for now. We will let this whole situation "shake out" and re-evaluate a potential rollback during next years budget meeting. If we see that there are funds that need to be sent back to the residents, as it has been done in the past, we would consider doing it again. It is my hope that the State of Ohio's decision to impose this massive increase upon the residents of Butler County will be reduced and the Ohio Tax Commissioner will more equitability apply the normal three year triennial tax calculation. I wanted all of the residents of Ross Township to hear it from us first before any other form of media is notified. As always, I encourage your questions and involvement in any township issues. You can email me at [email protected].

Three years ago, I became keenly aware of the developmental issues of Ross Township. My involvement with the then, Burns Farm Development, was never envisioned to be what it has turned into. I am proud to represent the residents of Ross and I take that responsibility very seriously and I will take that responsibility for the foreseeable future. The Board and the administration, collectively and individually, have had discussions amongst ourselves, as well as with other local and state leaders. The consensus is that Ross Township will develop. As much as some community members may not want it to, collectively, it is in the best interest of the township that we look at the situation and ask ourselves, What do we do? What do we want? and, How can we, as a community, make this happen to the favor of the majority of township residents? There are large parcels of land in Ross Township that developers show interest in. It is my belief that we need to get out in front of this and stay out in front of this. Otherwise, land will be sold, plans will be made, and we will get what we get. I don’t think that’s the route that leads us to the developmental “promised land.” The last developer wanted to use a method of finance that I was, and am still, completely against. The last developer modeled aspects of the development that I was against. However, now that I am representing you, it’s your turn. It’s your turn to tell us what you want. Do you want business? What kind? Do you want senior living? How much? Do you want beautiful homes? How many? Do you want parks, greenspace, a community center etc?...the list goes on and on.
Here’s my main point. Three people should not be making that determination. Our job is to listen to the residents of Ross Township and that is what we’re going to do. 2008 was the last time that there was an attempt to engage the community and develop a land use plan. As of February, 2023, there is a plan being considered that was developed, in part, by past members of the Board. There are two new members of the Board now. I’m asking that you put together a developmental “wish list” so that when negotiations commence about the developmental future of Ross Township, we are armed with the will of the people. You’ve heard me say that before. It is imperative that we hear from you. The demographics of our township have changed drastically since 2008 and I feel there has not been a tremendous amount of outreach to engage with the residents of Ross as it pertains to development. Well, here’s your chance! This letter is from me, as a member of the community, not from the Board of Trustees as a group. When I speak for the Board, I will tell you. When I speak as a community member that is on the Board that represents you, I will tell you that also.
Over the past few months, it has been my pleasure to serve with the members of this Board, the Administration, and the Department Heads of Ross Township. I admire them all. They are a fine group of people that have a deep concern for our township. But it is now your responsibility to let us know what you want. Please don’t waste our time with silly, off the cuff comments. What I want to hear is thoughtful, inciteful, wise and brilliant ideas that will guide the decisions that we make about development in Ross, into something brilliantly spectacular. Something that YOU want and something that we are ALL proud of.
I would love to hear from you. Please take time to stop by a Trustee meeting if you can. The next one is September 7th @ 6:00pm. My email address is [email protected]. If you wish to mail a letter, my address is 3958 Ficus Ct, Hamilton, Ohio 45013. I would appreciate knowing who I’m communicating with. Having it in writing is the best way for me to have that information. You are welcome to call me at 513-413-8840 and if I don’t answer, please leave a voice mail. If you see me out at Flubs, don’t hesitate to introduce yourself and chat for a few minutes. I’m enlisting social media since it is the easiest way to engage the most people possible in the shortest period of time without using the expense of mailing cards/letters to each household. This post will be on Ross Talk and Russ for Ross pages so feel free to share them to anyone you wish. If you post comments on Facebook, I will check them and ask only that you keep your comments productive. I will also ask the administrators/moderators to remove “unproductive” comments.
I’ll close with this. Ross Township has been a beautiful community for 220 years. My goal is to leave it a better place than it was when I got here 37 years ago, and better than when my family’s ancestors got here 100 years ago. But it must be within the constraints of the will of the people. I hope you’ll share your goals for the community with me so that we can keep Ross one of the most livable places in the country.

When I started Ross Citizens for Sensible Development, it was a grass roots effort to create awareness and engagement for the citizens of Ross Township. At this point it has developed into so much more for me. Those of you that know me well, know how much I care for this community. My family is deeply rooted here and will continue to be. Those of you who I've yet to meet, it will be my pleasure to see you in the community, at the Trustee meetings or Township events. There is no doubt about the challenging times we live in and are being faced with in the future. As your Trustee, I will continue to place the affairs and safety of Ross Township at the top of my list of priorities. We, as a township face issues of taxes, police and fire safety and development just like every other surrounding community. What makes us different is what makes us great. We are a Mayberry-esque, bedroom community, close to the city, but with all of the country charm that a small town can give. We used to be one of the best kept secrets in the area! Not so much anymore. I look forward to doing my best, with a group of Trustees, Administrators and department heads that I have come to know and trust, to lead Ross Township in a manner that is obedient with the will of the majority of township residents and the laws of the State of Ohio. If that hasn't been your experience in the past, then today is a new day. If that is the type of leadership that you would like to have in Ross Township, then there are three people running on the ballot this November that would appreciate your vote. That would be myself, Trustee John Fisher and Fiscal Officer Julie Joyce-Smith. Trustee Keith Ballauer is safely on the Board for the upcoming election. Rest assured, all of us will answer your questions with respect and dignity and we all encourage you to engage with your local, state and federal elected officials. It is truly the best way to get your questions heard and answered.

Back in May 2021, I heard what a lot of people said about our town. What they liked and how it can improve. About development in our town and why it needed to be controlled. God gave us two ears so we could hear and two eyes so we could see. But it is with our heart that we listen and with our mind that we create vision. In August 2021, it was my mouth that began to voice what my ears told my heart. But it all started with listening.

When was the last time someone in government listened to you, I mean really listened? Listened to your ideas, your goals and the vision you have for your town. I have and I will!

How many of you like it here? Why do you like it here? What needs to happen to make it better? send an email to [email protected]

We have phenomenal police, fire and road departments. They do an amazing job on a very tight budget. What can be done to help them thrive in an economic climate that makes it increasingly difficult to provide Ross Township residents with the service that we all depend on?

How do we, the residents of Ross, invite sensible development while keeping our crime low, our services great and our schools the best in Butler County as we preserve the "Mayberry-esque" feel of the town we love?

I don't have all of the answers for the challenges that we face moving forward, but you do. I don't know the best way for Ross to develop, but you do. You may not feel that your voice is being heard. But, I hear you. More importantly, I will listen to you and it would be my honor to represent you as Ross Township Trustee this coming November. You see, it's not about what Russ wants, or John wants, or Mary wants. It's about what the people of Ross wants. Please email me with comments or questions. I'll do my best to answer all of them on the Russ4Ross page.