The proposed 0.7-mill property tax levy for Warren County parks will not appear on the November ballot. The park board voted unanimously on Friday to rescind its Resolution of Necessity, according to Dayton Daily News reporting.

The reversal came three days after all three Warren County commissioners ripped into Park District Executive Director Matt Latham and Park Board member Ben Yoder at the commissioners' regular session Tuesday, July 21, in Lebanon, as reported by the Dayton Daily News.

"This freaking ticks me off," Commissioner Dave Young said at the July 21 meeting, after learning the park board had already approved the levy resolution without consulting the commissioners.

What was scheduled as a routine annual update turned into a confrontation. Commissioners Tom Grossmann, Shannon Jones and Young said they had no foreknowledge of the park board's 2-1 vote to approve the Resolution of Necessity. They called it a direct contradiction of their June 23 decision to raise the county sales tax by 0.5% while waiving the county's share of property tax collection to give homeowners a break.

Grossmann said the commissioners' position was clear: they do not want property taxes going up. Jones said the park board's unilateral action undermined the partnership between the two bodies.

Yoder pushed back, saying the park district has struggled to get the commissioners' attention on funding. He told commissioners the board was willing to reverse the resolution or let it expire if the commissioners would commit to discussing consistent future funding.

As we reported July 22, the park district warned that up to 10 of its 12 parks could close and staffing would be cut without new revenue. The district's reserves are projected to run out by the end of 2028. The six-year levy would have cost homeowners $25 per year per $100,000 of home value.

The park district's financial outlook remains unresolved. Yoder indicated willingness to negotiate with commissioners, but no date for those discussions has been announced. Residents can contact the Warren County Commissioners' office or the Park District at its headquarters, 1267 N. State Route 741 in Lebanon, to weigh in on the district's future funding.