Officials seek more money for roads

Request in response to resident demand for hard surfaces

Huntsburg Township voters will see a new levy on the Nov. 5 ballot along with an old one.

About 1,500 of the community’s 3,658 residents are eligible to decide whether to add a continuing 5-mill additional streets, roads and bridges levy.

A 1.5-mill road and bridge levy is up for renewal this year as well. The renewal last was approved in 2014, and a 3-mill levy for road improvements was passed in 2016.

“Residents have asked for improved roads and would like to see a permanent hard surface,” Township Trustee Nancy Saunders said. “The cost to ditch, drain, cement stabilize and asphalt a road ranges between $450,000 and $500,000. Our current budget will not support such improvements.”

The current road budget is $349,906. That is about a third of the township’s total operating budget for the year.

The new levy would yield an estimated $350,737 annually and cost homeowners $175 per $100,000 in property value, according to the Geauga County Auditor’s Office.

The renewal collects about $92,532 at a cost of $39.85 per $100,000 in market value.

The 3-mill levy generates $204,251 per year at a cost of $89.04 per $100,000 in market value.

The township maintains 21 miles of roads, of which 14 miles are unpaved. It also is responsible for replacing

The new levy would yield an estimated $350,737 annually and cost homeowners $175 per $100,000 in property value, according to the Geauga County Auditor’s Office.

culverts under the roads rather than bridges.

The gravel roads are, at times, in rough condition, depending on the time of year, Saunders said.

“In spring, they can be very dusty and potholed,” she said. “(In) winter, snowy and slippery.

“Our subdivision roads are in poor to fair shape and the hard-surface roads are in good shape with a section of Princeton having been resurfaced last year.”

If the new levy passes, trustees have a plan for improvements going forward.

“Which roads will depend on their shape next year and what the (Geauga County) Engineer’s Office suggests,” Saunders said. “It will be a slow start because many roads have ditching and drainage issues that must be addressed prior to hard surfacing.”

And if the levy doesn’t pass?

“Roads will remain in current conditions and dust control may or may not be applied if a road should need immediate attention,” she said.