City parks backers seek 1-mill levy in November

Sustainable department wanted, vice chairman says

Vermilion park enthusiasts hope city residents will say yes to a levy that would raise money for a robust park program.

On Nov. 7, Vermilion voters will consider an additional one-mill levy for parks and recreational purposes.

The levy will be a continuing property tax.

It will appear as Issue 24 on the ballot on the Lorain County side of Vermilion, and as Issue 5 on the Erie County side.

“The biggest thing that I need to stress: The current levy that we’re operating under, was passed 54 years ago and it’s strictly a capital levy,” said Brad Scholtz, vice chairman of the city’s Parks and Recreation Committee.

“So what that means is, we can acquire things, but we can’t maintain them,” Scholtz said. “The new levy is for operations, for maintenance.” The proposed one-mill levy would raise about $269,026 per year.

It would cost $35 annually per $100,000 in residential property valuation, according to the Lorain County Auditor’s Office.

There are 7,301 voters eligible to cast ballots Nov. 7. That includes 3,877 voters on the Lorain County side of Vermilion and 3,424 voters on the Erie County side, according to the respective county election boards.

Vermilion has 56 acres of park land in 18 parks, including four beaches.

The city also has “a tremendous volunteer base” of people willing to help, Scholtz said.

“People are really proud of their town,” he said.

The parks get a lot of use and the committee wants to expand programs, improve maintenance and strengthen community spirit, Scholtz said.

“In order to do this, it is necessary to create a true, sustainable department,” he said. “We want to take it to the next level.”

There is a Vermilion Parks Levy Committee formed to promote the issue in town.

Having lively green spaces will help home values by making Vermilion a desirable community, Scholtz said.

The Vermilion Parks and Recreation Department has a ½-mill levy on the books that voters first approved in 1963, he said.

In 2016, the ½-mill levy generated about $116,553, said Brian Keller, Vermilion finance director.

That money may be spent on capital projects that contributes to the parks department for five years or longer, Keller said.

To supplement the department each year, the city allocates money from the city general fund to pay for maintenance supplies and salaries for the parks, Scholtz said.

The money varies each year, he said.

“It makes it tough to make much of a plan with,” Scholtz said.

For example, in 2012, the city general fund contributed $109,000 toward the parks; the amount rose to $114,000 in 2013, dipped to $80,930 in 2014, rose to $125,349 in 2015, and rose again to $155,743 last year, according to figures from Keller’s office.

The parks department competes with safety forces and street repairs, among other things, for general fund money, Scholtz said.

Those are important to the community, so sometimes the parks must move to the bottom of the priority list, he said.

“Now, we’re going for what you would call a sustainable department,” Scholtz said.

Mayor Eileen Bulan has lent her support to the parks levy campaign.

“It’s long needed,” Bulan said. “Definitely, without a doubt, it is important.

“We can’t survive on volunteers forever,” Bulan said, referring to the corps of volunteers who water flowers and maintain the green spaces.

The benefits of the parks “far outweigh” the cost of paying about $35 a year, Keller said, calling the levy a good deal for what residents get in their parks.

“From a community perspective, I think it’s great,” he said.

The department has two part-time employees and a part-time parks supervisor, Scholtz said.

If approved, the money would pay for two full time staffers and a working supervisor, he said.

They would work on projects ranging from trimming trees to maintaining the city’s public comfort station and more.

Vermilion still has a city pool that opened in summer 2016, Scholtz said.

“We’ve managed to keep it open, but it’s been a struggle,” he said.

Likewise, the rough condition and possible closure of the city skate park spurred youths to march with the parks levy committee in this year’s Woollybear Festival parade, Scholtz said.

“The kids are getting pretty passionate because they hear the rumors, they hear it’s in jeopardy,” he said.

If the new levy is approved, the old levy will remain on the books, Scholtz said.

Voters should be aware the levy will not raise money for the former Inland Seas Maritime Museum, he said.

It has been acquired by the city, but will be improved through grants and donations separate from the parks levy, Scholtz said.

The proposed one-mill levy would raise about $269,026 per year.