A Stark County department is going to be asking for a tax increase soon.
The Stark County Board of Park Commissioners is seeking to place a measure on the ballot this coming November, to create a property tax request of 1.2-mill. The money would be used to expand recreational trails in the parks. If approved, the new levy would replace the currently levy of 1-mill, and replace it with the 1.2-mill tax.
The Stark County Park District's director, Robert Fonte, said the district has just finished a survey that took five years, and found that the public in general likes the direction the system is going, namely constructing trails that connect the various parks.
If the new tax is approved, the amount paid by a homeowner whose home has an assessed value of $100,000 would pay $42 per year, up $16.68 from their current rate. Flyer printing may be used to disseminate information like this.
The county has been developing trails since the 1990s, starting with the Congressman Ralph Regula Towpath Trail Park, which is in the western part of Stark County. Since then, the parks department has been increasing the number of trail miles, including the Iron Horse Trail, which is in the Alliance area; and the Stark Electric Railway Trail, which is in Canton. Thus far, there are about 120 trail miles in the park system.
