UHRICHSVILLE (Tusco TV) - Council is taking the necessary steps to place the city’s park levy back on the ballot this fall.

Council voted last week to approve the second of three resolutions needed to put the half-mill levy on the November 5th ballot. Mayor Rick Dorland says this will be a five-year renewal of an existing levy that brings in between $25,000 and $30,000 a year for park maintenance and improvements. 

"What that does is it helps run the park system if we need new playground equipment, mulch for the swingset beds, picnic tables, shelters," he says.

Dorland says they also use the levy to cover the cost of upkeep, which saves them from having to take money away from other expenses.  

"When the service department goes down there and mows, we take their time out of that levy money. That way, it’s not coming out of the general fund, so it’s actually saving the general fund money," he says.

Parks and Recreation Committee Chairman Eric Harmon says he hopes voters will see the value in continuing the levy.

"This levy’s been helpful in the past by providing funding toward basketball courts, towards recreational development, and we feel the city of Uhrichsville deserves a beautiful park for its residents and its children," he says. "We hope that voters will continue to support this levy and the important funding that it goes toward in our park system."

The levy money is for the community parks, shelters and ballfields only and can’t be used to operate the city-owned water park. 

TUSCO TV