Income tax increase on the ballot in Ravenna

Ravenna voters will decide in May whether to hike their income tax a quarter percent, from 2.5% to 2.75%.

City officials say they need the money to build a new fire station, police station and City Hall.

The current police/fire station complex, comprising much of the block bordered by West Maple Lane, South Meridian Street, West Spruce Avenue and Park Way, was built in 1922 and remodeled in 1979. It originally housed Ravenna’s police, fire and all city offices, including City Hall.

City officials say both buildings have outlived their shelf life, racking up such frequent and expensive repairs that new builds are necessary.

Ravenna City Hall, located on Park Way, was built in 1938 to house an A&P supermarket. City Hall moved into the building in 1972.

If voters green light the proposed tax increase in May, the new complex will be built at the former Ravenna High School site at Clinton and Main streets. The new City Hall would be in the center, with the fire and police station on either side.

Council determined in November of 2025 that the project could cost $20-$25 million. To pay for it, the city would issue a 30-year bond and use the tax increase proceeds—estimated at $1.2 to $1.3 million annually—to service its debt. The tax increase would “fall off” when the bond is retired, Council President Rob Kairis said.

Ravenna Council Member Amy Michael sought to address rumors she had heard that the city would have sufficient money to finance the new buildings if it had not raided its general fund to purchase Sunbeau Valley Farm. The rumors are untrue, she said.

While the city did spend about $1.1 million last year to buy the 43+-acre Sunbeau Valley Farm, she said the bulk of the funds came out of Ravenna’s parks and recreation department capital improvement fund, which can only be used to improve city parks. About $375,833 did come out of Ravenna’s general fund, but Michael said the city has already repaid that money with sales tax revenue from the city’s marijuana dispensary.

Local governments have a responsibility to provide quality of life for their residents, she added. Instead of a trailer park or housing development going into Sunbeau Valley, being able to dedicate it for public use seemed preferable.

City officials are exploring uses for Sunbeau Valley, including building a revenue-producing amphitheater, bringing in other attractions and hosting park activities.
Council Member Tyler Marovich likened the need for an income tax hike to a vehicle’s “check engine light,” only in this case, it's the city’s infrastructure that needs attention.

For example, the city's fire station has frequent plumbing problems with sewage backup, and it's too small to house its current vehicles, much less a new fire engine that is expected to arrive in the next year or so, said Fire Chief Mark Chapple. It also lacks separate locker rooms and dorm areas for female firefighters.

His private office is outfitted with a fold-out Murphy bed, and RFD’s administrative assistant and fire prevention officer work in a common hallway between his office and the dorm room—which itself is only big enough to handle six people, when a fully-staffed shift is seven.

Ravenna’s police department has a men’s locker room too small to supply all officers with a private locker, and female officers who need shower or locker facilities are out of luck. They need to use the city’s former street department building, which has two unisex restrooms, one of which has shower facilities.

The police station lacks training rooms and storage space for evidence, and police begin and end their day at city-owned space on West Spruce Street, the only place available to park their cruisers, RPD Sgt. Dustin Svab said.

City Hall is not as critical, but council members determined that spending some $5 million to replace it now would be less expensive than building a new, separate structure in the future, Kairis said.

The final decision is up to city voters, he acknowledged.