CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Chillicothe voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to renew a 0.2% income tax that has funded nearly $17.3 million in street and alley paving over the past decade, according to the city.
The levy, first approved in 2015, collected its final revenue in 2025. A renewal at the same 0.2% rate would continue funding paving and roadway maintenance citywide, the city said in a fact sheet explaining the measure.
The tax applies only to earned income, not property values, and would cost a resident earning $40,000 a year about $80, or $3 per $1,500 biweekly paycheck, according to the city. Officials project the renewal would generate about $2 million annually, restricted by law to paving and street construction.
Over the life of the original levy, the city says it collected $17,322,975 and used the money to pave about 70% of Chillicothe’s roads and alleyways. The funding also provided local matching dollars for Ohio Department of Transportation safety projects on Western Avenue and Bridge Street, along with downtown milling and paving work, the city said.
City officials say that without a renewal, paving would happen far less often, and the city would lose a funding source it uses to match state Ohio Public Works Commission grants and larger ODOT paving projects. Police and fire crews also depend on well-maintained roads to reach residents quickly, officials said.
Chillicothe City Council held public information sessions earlier this year on the proposed renewal, where officials said the city has resurfaced about 65% of its street mileage and 19% of its alleys since 2015, with the rest expected to be completed within six to seven years if the levy continues.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the City of Chillicothe.
