South Russell seeking road levy

Some South Russell Village roads have not been paved since the early 1990s.

About 3,101 voters are eligible to change that by approving a 1.5-mill additional levy for streets, roads and bridges Nov. 7.

The levy would raise taxes $52.50 a year per $100,000 of property value starting in 2018 and expire after five years, according to the Geauga County Auditor’s Office.

Mayor William G. Koons said the levy is needed to allow the village to work on the five longest roads needing repaving — Ashleigh Drive, Bel Meadow Lane, Kensington Circle, Lake Louise and Sheerbrook Drive.

“We have delayed paving these roads — all are a half- to one-mile in length — because of the cost,” Koons said. “It is time to address these large, expensive road paving needs. With this additional levy we will be able to continue our normal $350,000 road paving program on the smaller roads in the village.

“If the levy would not pass, we need to delay repaving and resort to patching the roads. Patching simply delays repaving and often requires extensive repairs added to the repaving costs when paving finally happens. It is better to take preventative action than allow the roads to deteriorate.

“We do not (currently) have a road levy. Our budget is $3.2 million. We derive our revenue from approximately $1.7 million from income tax and $1.2 million from real estate taxes.”