Celina voters OK tax change to help streets

CELINA - City voters on Tuesday resoundingly approved a ballot measure allowing funds from a 0.5 percent additional income tax levy for police and fire services to also fund much-needed street repairs.

The measure passed with 64 percent approval in the city's eight precincts with 1,887 for and 1,048 against, according to unofficial results from the Mercer County Board of Elections.

The income tax, originally approved as a seven-year levy in November 2010, also will be extended five years to Dec. 31, 2022. The change will take effect Jan. 1.

"Certainly I'm very pleased. I think it shows a strong support of the community itself for what we're attempting to do," mayor Jeff Hazel said. "Both the police and fire departments have been in support, and ... as we go forward, I think the public will start to see the things that we can do on a street program that should have been started 30 years ago."

No specific revenue amounts will be set aside for the police, fire and street departments. The money will be distributed based on the needs of each department with emergency services taking top priority, officials have said.

Hazel has stressed that funds already collected will continue to be earmarked for fire and police expenses. Only future income, starting in 2016, can be used for street repairs.

"That's when we will start identifying the projects and how much they are," Hazel said. "As we collect those taxes it may be toward the later part of summer or early fall before we have enough collected to move forward with those projects."

City officials have identified 21 miles of city streets that need to be repaired, the mayor said. A couple of the projects likely will be pursued next year, he added.