Ravenna Council Member Carmen Laudato isn’t surprised that city voters rejected a proposed 0.25% income tax increase.
Few city leaders stepped up to “sell” the increase to residents, the numbers the city was using to support it were three years old and “there is absolutely no toleration in this economy to additionally tax people,” she said.
Revenue from the tax hike was to plan, build, furnish and equip a new fire station, police station and city hall complex at Clinton and Main streets, formerly home to Ravenna High School.
A month before the November general election, though, Laudato told her council colleagues that relying on a decade-old facilities assessment and a three-year old $20-$25 million cost estimate the architectural firm Horne and King produced was irresponsible.
Council agreed and authorized $25,000 for the architectural firm to conduct a second facilities assessment and slate of options. Council President Rob Kairis said doing so confused voters and may have led some to reject the proposed tax hike.
The proposed income tax increase was the city’s second attempt, with voters having rejected it in the May 2026 primary election.
“In May, we did the best we could and we failed miserably,” Kairis said. “We did nothing since then, so why would we expect a different outcome?”
Inflation happens: Kairis acknowledged that the cost estimate now tops $30 million.
During council’s Nov. 9 planning committee meeting, he said he doesn’t see voters facing a third attempt anytime soon.
“We’re heading into a lame duck year,” he said. “It’s an election year. I think that's poor planning, for such an immense project, to do it during a year when we're going to have new leadership, and members of council will change. The planning should be done by those who are going to implement it. It should be their responsibility.”
Laudato said she’s expecting Horne and King’s second report to land on her desk any day now, but Kairis said it could be outdated by the time city leaders — new or re-elected — are ready to deal with it. Council Member Amy Michael objected, saying the firefighters are out of room now.
“We’re failing as leaders. We’re in this seat now. The mayor’s in this seat now. We have to continue moving forward,” she said. “This ball cannot stop.”
Laudato said she will prioritize the fire department. The former Tops grocery store and property recently turned up for sale, and its owners may be willing to negotiate with the city. The site could house a new fire station, allowing the police station to expand into the space the fire station is now using, she said.
The county wants to expand its court space and might, if the price is right, be willing to buy Ravenna’s current city hall to do it, she said, acknowledging that where city hall would move remains unknown.
Referencing social media, Laudato said some posts she’d seen alleged that the city should never have bought Sunbeau Valley Farm if they knew money was needed for a new police and fire station and city hall.
She said the roughly $1.3 million the city paid for Sunbeau Valley wouldn't have made a dent in what's needed.
“If we sold that property for 20 times what we paid for it, it still wouldn't be enough for our safety center,” she said in the meeting.