Avon Lake Asks Voters for 0.4% Income Tax Increase | The Locally Times
The proposed five-year, 0.4% income tax increase would raise a projected $6.6 million for road and capital projects that have not been publicly specified.
## Tax Increase Heads to May Ballot The City of Avon Lake is asking residents to approve a 0.4% municipal income tax increase during the May 5, 2026, election. According to an announcement on the city’s website, the proposal would raise the local income tax rate from 1.5% to 1.9% for a five-year period. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections confirmed in a February 17 meeting notice that it would certify issues for the May 5, 2026, Primary Election. ## Proposal Aims to Raise $6.6 Million for Infrastructure City documents state the proposed tax increase is projected to generate $6.6 million in new revenue over its five-year term. According to city records, the new tax revenue would be managed separately from the general fund and dedicated entirely to infrastructure projects. ## Project Details, Growth Data Remain Unspecified While the city has specified the revenue goal, public documents do not contain a detailed list of the road and capital projects the $6.6 million would fund. The criteria for how projects would be prioritized and selected are also not included in the announcements. The documents do not provide metrics on population growth, new housing development, or traffic volume studies that would quantify the increased strain on local infrastructure. Records also do not indicate whether officials analyzed alternative funding mechanisms, such as issuing bonds or reallocating existing budget resources, before deciding on the tax increase. ## What to Watch The decision before voters on May 5 is whether to approve a temporary tax increase to fund a broad infrastructure program without a publicly itemized list of projects. The city’s informational meeting on March 11 represents the next scheduled opportunity for officials to provide specific details on which projects would be funded and to present the data justifying the need for the new revenue. Without these details, residents are being asked to fund a solution for a problem the city has not yet fully quantified in public records.