Voters in Ashland, Geauga, Lake and Medina counties are being asked to consider levies on the Nov. 4 ballot to support park operations, maintenance and potential expansion efforts. Lake County has a 10-year renewal levy, which would cover nearly half of the park’s operating budget if passed, while districts in Ashland, Medina and Geauga are seeking renewals and increases.
Ashland County Park District
Ashland County Park District seeks to renew its 0.5 mill levy, and increase it by an additional 0.3 mills for a total of 0.8 mills. If passed, the levy is expected to generate $1.3 million for the park district over the next six years, according to the Ashland County Auditor.
Under the current 0.5 mill levy, homeowners pay $11.28 monthly per $100,000 of property valuation. The proposed renewal and increase levy would cost residents an additional $10.50 per year.
Funds from the levy will support an increase in educational programs, expanded paved trail networks and maintenance of the 2,500 acres across the park district, Executive Director Eric Schneider said.
"We've grown a lot, we've paved a lot of a lot of trails throughout the area, opened up new special events and programs, new facilities," he said. "We got two new buildings that we take care of and we're just asking for a very modest increase for what we're doing and what the community's already invested in."
The current levy passed with a 72% approval rating in 2020, Schneider said, but the park's seen a 66% increase in visitation at its 20 parks that motivated the levy increase.
"In 2020, we saw about 148,000 visits, and last year in 2024 we saw 246,000," he said. "People in Ashland are using their parks a lot more, taking advantage of the free programs that we have going on, and we just want to continue investing in the community."
Geauga County Park District
Geauga County's Issue 17 proposes the renewal of 0.7 mill levy with a 0.5 mill increase for a total of 1.2 mills for the Geauga County Park District.
The district's current levy, passed initially in 1985, costs residents $6 annually per $100,000 of a property's appraised value, generating just over a million dollars for the park district each year. The proposed levy would tack on an additional $17 per year, and is expected to generate a total of $3,384,359 for the park district through 2046.
"Our mission is to preserve, conserve, and protect our our natural resources across those twenty-eight parks and eleven thousand acres," Geauga County Park District Executive Director John Oros said. "It takes funding to do that, so we'll continue to build upon that legacy of taking care of our natural resources and our natural areas and we're we're proud to steward some of the most pristine natural areas in Geauga County."
The park has grown to nearly 11 thousand acres across 28 parks, Oros said, and if the levy passes, funds will be used to upgrade aging park infrastructure, invest in new shelter facilities, improve trail systems and remodel the West Woods Nature Center and the Rookery’s shelter and playground.
Tax dollars make up the entirety of Geauga County Park District's funding, Oros said, but they haven't put a tax increase on the ballot since 2000. The rise in park attendance is evidence of the role the park district plays in the community.
"There has been an uptick in in number of reservations of our lodges, in our facilities, we've seen an uptick in the number of cars coming in and out of our parks," he said. "We feel like the time is is right now to ask for additional ... support."
If the levy fails, the park district will look for other ballot initiatives for the spring primary, Oros said, while working to maintain park operations in the meantime.
Lake Metroparks
Lake Metroparks is seeking a renewal of its 1.9 mill park levy, meaning property owners would see the same annual tax rate of $35 for each $100,000 of a property's appraised value.
The levy is expected to generate $11.6 million annually over the next 10 years, if passed.
The park district welcomes more than four million visitors to its 30 parks each year, Executive Director Paul Palagyi said, and the parks biggest priority is ensuring those parks are accessible to the community.
"It gets kind of lost sometimes that most of our visitors are not going to programs or events, they're just going to visit their local parks and take a walk or or exercise or walk their dog. That's the vast majority of our visitors. And so really what this levy for most people just keeps those parks open, safe, accessible, and clean."
Revenue generated from the levy makes up about 45% of the district's operating budget and has supported numerous projects and programs for the Lake County parks in the past, including the first two phases of its two-mile Lakefront Trail project.
Funds from the levy will support the continuation of the trail project and others, Palagyi said.
"It also allows us to continue to provide programs for seniors, for families, for young children, everything ... from trails to summer camps," he said. "So, that allows us to continue doing what we're doing today."
Medina County Park District
Medina County Park District seeks a renewal and increase levy increasing its previous levy from 1 mill to 1.25 mills. The levy excludes Hinckley Township which is covered by the Cleveland Metroparks.
There is no source of permanent funding for the Medina County Parks, District Executive Director Nate Eppink said, so funds provided through this tax levy would provide guaranteed funding through 2036.
"This levy is everything to us," Eppink said. "With those local dollars, we're able to leverage local funds and go after grants for land acquisition, trail construction, restoration, and and the many good things that people have come to expect for from the park district."
The current levy generates about $5 million for the Medina County Park District each year. The proposed levy with the increase is expected to generate $6.7 million for the district annually.
"We see it as a tremendous return on investment," Eppink said. "For that little amount of money, you get access to 24 parks and preserves, more than 60 trails, we offer hundreds of free programs every year and ... lots of opportunities for recreation, biking, running, bird watching, fishing, kayaking and more to come."
It's now more expensive to maintain the district's parks and preserves, Eppink said, and that rise in cost prompted the 0.25 mill increase tacked onto the levy in November.
"We worked with the county auditor early in the process to determine the amount of money that would be needed, the millage that would be needed based on that ten-year [strategic] plan," he said. "We've factored it all out and determined that we will live within these means for the next ten year cycle, and we won't have to come back to the voters at any point to ask for more"
The park district's previous levy passed by 60% in 2015, so the district is feeling "cautiously optimistic" that the levy will pass this time around, Eppink said.
"I'd like to remind Medina County voters that when they look at their tax bill, the little sliver on the pie chart that is described as other, that's where Medina County Park District falls," he said. "It is a fraction of the overall property tax, and even with this quarter mill increase, will be one of the smallest figures on your property tax bill."
Municipal park levies
Several municipalities in Northeast Ohio are also seeking tax levies for park operations.
- City of Ashtabula, Ashtabula County: renewal 1.5 mill levy for parks and recreation for five years
- Orwell Area Join Recreation District, Ashtabula County: renewal 1 mill levy for operation, maintenance and park construction expenses for five years
- Saybrook Township Park District, Ashtabula County: renewal 0.5 mill levy for operating expenses for five years
- City of East Liverpool, Columbiana County: renewal 2 mill levy for parks and recreation expenses for five years
- Summitville Village, Columbiana County: renewal 0.5 mill levy for parks and recreation expenses for five years
- Village of Bay View, Erie County: renewal 1 mill levy for parks and recreation expenses for five years
- Margaretta Township, Erie County: renewal 0.25 mill levy for parks and recreation expenses for five years
- Adena Village, Jefferson County: renewal 2 mill mill levy for parks and recreation expenses for five years
- Wells Township, Jefferson County: renewal 0.5 mill levy for parks and recreation expenses for five years
- Village of Beloit, Mahoning County: renewal 1.5 mill levy to operate, maintain and improve parks for five years
- Village of Sebring, Mahoning County: renewal 1 mill levy for parks and recreation for five years, in addition to a charter amendment on the ballot to formalize the structure and duties of the village's park and recreation board
- York Township, Medina County: renewal 0.5 mill levy for parks and recreation expenses for five years
- Village of Plymouth, Richland and Huron counties: renewal 1 mill levy for parks and recreation expenses for five years
- City of Canton, Stark County: replacement and decrease 4.5 mill levy for parks and recreation for five years
- Village of Burbank, Wayne County: renewal 3 mill levy for parks and recreation expenses for five years
