Taxes to rise
BY KATE DANNA
Wednesday, April 27, 2026



It came down to road repair.

In a 4-3 vote Tuesday night, the Medina village board passed a 2005-06 budget with an 8.6 tax rate increase. The increase trustees attributed to a reserve fund of $193,208 for equipment and paving.

Mayor Howard Lake and trustees Virginia Baldwin and Linda Deyle were the dissenters.

The budget calls for $4.15 million in spending, a decrease of $49,301 over the current budget. It carries a tax rate of $16.40 per $1,000 of assessed property value, a 8.6 percent increase over the current budget. Under the new rate, a property owner with a home assessed at an average value of $50,000, will pay $50 more in taxes.

Lake made clear during the public hearing held earlier in the evening that he would not vote in favor of the $4.15 million spending plan, because of the funds dedicated to equipment and paving.

ÒThis is not my budgetÓ Lake said. ÒIÕm not going to vote in favor of it. I agree we need more money for roads, but this is not the year to stick it on the tax rate.Ó

This year, Lake turned the budget over to Clayton Ehrenreich III, Bob Rice, Adam Tabelski and Tim Cooper.

With an initial look at department head requests, according to Ehrenreich, the board was looking at a 37.5 percent increase in the current tax rate.

Without the reserve fund, Ehrenreich said, the increase would have been .339 percent. However, according to Ehrenreich, new roads are much needed.

ÒIf you drove here tonight, you know what the roads are like in Medina,Ó Ehrenreich said. ÒWeÕre trying to look ahead with this budget. Hopefully within a few years, weÕll get this village looking back in shape again.Ó

When some residents complained about the tax rate increase, Lake told them itÕs either that or a cut in services.

ÒThe tax rate goes up every year but we still provide the same services,Ó Lake said. ÒPeople donÕt want to give up services.Ó

Besides the reserve account, the culprits in the tax rate hike are salaries and employee benefits including increasing pension costs, all together making up 60 percent of the spending plan.

The budget also includes a $308,000 reserve account for street repairs and equipment.

Deyle pointed out that those property owners who have been reassessed will have an increase around 14.4 percent. ThatÕs too much to ask of taxpayers, Deyle said, and thatÕs why she voted against the budget.

Many residents spoke out at the meeting about the possibility of combining services between Medina, Ridgeway and Shelby.

John Anderson wanted to know why separate governments are needed for such a small area.

ÒYouÕve got to look at ways you can reduce government,Ó Anderson said.

Cooper replied that heÕs ready to consolidate between the three municipalities.

ÒThatÕs the only thing we can do,Ó he said.

Contact Kate Danna at (585) 798-1400, Ext. 2225.
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