Troy City Council and its park and recreation boards heard a proposal Monday, April 25, to put an estimated 2-mill levy for recreation facilities on the November ballot. The council agreed unanimously that more answers are needed before a decision is made on asking for tax dollars.

A proposal by an Operation Recreation 2020 committee for a tax levy to generate $8 million for fields at Duke Park and improvements to the Senior Citizens Center and Miami Shores Golf Course was first disclosed Friday in a meeting notice to council.

The organizations/stakeholders in Operation Recreation have pledged another $4 million toward the $14 million in projects as part of a public-private partnership. City money, donations and grants would make up the balance.

The organizations are: Troy Junior Baseball, Midwest Ohio Baseball, Troy Christian High School, Troy High School Softball, Troy Junior Trojans Baseball, Troy Post 43 and Troy TL Boosters Inc., Troy Soccer Club, Troy Senior Services Center and the city’s Miami Shores Golf Course.

The proposal calls for the money to be used for:

-       Duke Park improvements: $11.2 million for projects of nine baseball fields plus infrastructure, three full size soccer fields plus infrastructure and a maintenance building

-       Senior Citizens Center improvements: $100,000 for projects such as roof replacement, exterior siding, foundation drainage, interior renovations, and parking lot improvements.

-       Miami Shores Golf Course, $1.5 million for projects of clubhouse and land renovations and a driving range.

Among questions raised were what would happen if the organizations do not raise the pledged money or if the levy would fail and, if the projects moved forward, who would maintain added facilities.

A lot of specifics of the proposal remain to be figured out, said Patrick Titterington, city service-safety director. The proposals could be scaled back if necessary, but it would need to be on a proportional basis, he said.

The estimated cost of the proposed 10-year levy was listed at $70 a year for a $100,000 home.

Councilmember Robin Oda asked why council was not told about discussions of a possible joint project and levy request.

"It would have been nice for council to have heard about the committee before we got this packet two days ago," Oda said.

Tom Dunn, a recreation board member, asked why the project was on an apparent fast track. He said he was nervous discussing a proposal that he was "ignorant of most of it."

Titterington said the organizations requested a November ballot issue because of need for facilities. The Junior Baseball fields were used as an example because of frequent flooding at the current Knoop complex fields at Eldean Road and County Road 25A.

In the end, the park board voted to recommend council place the levy request before voters. The recreation board did not make a recommendation because a motion for ask council to place the tax on the ballot died for the lack of a second.

A date for another council discussion was not set.

Duke Park would get more sports fields under the levy