Sycamore Township property owners won't see a tax increase in the 2027 preliminary budget the Board of Trustees approved unanimously on Tuesday, July 7.
The 3-0 vote on Resolution 2026-054 clears the way for the township to meet a state deadline requiring all local governments to file a tax budget with the Hamilton County Auditor by Tuesday, July 15. Fiscal Officer Jonathan T. Deters sent two copies of the adopted budget to County Auditor Jessica Miranda on Wednesday, July 8, one day after the vote.
Chairman Thomas J. Weidman, Vice Chairman Tracy Kellums and Trustee Tracy Schwegmann all voted aye, according to the resolution.
The budget projects General Fund spending of $2,995,000 for 2027, up from an estimated $2,873,756 in 2026 and $2,269,088 actual in 2025. General Fund property tax receipts are projected at $475,000, compared to $463,393 estimated for 2026. The Road and Bridge Fund projects property tax receipts of $780,000, with a $1.8 million transfer from other funds, up from $1.5 million estimated for 2026.
What the tax budget is
The tax budget is not the township's final spending plan. "It is a preliminary budget to demonstrate the Township's need for tax revenue," Assistant Administrator Beth Gunderson said at the July 7 public hearing, citing Ohio Revised Code Section 5705.28. The Hamilton County Budget Commission will review the document and certify tax levies. The township's binding appropriations for 2027 will be adopted separately, typically in December.
The required public hearing opened at 5:50 p.m. and closed at 5:52 p.m. "No one from the public signed in to comment on the 2027 Tax Budget," Weidman said before closing the hearing. The regular meeting that followed lasted 12 minutes.
Low-tax track record
Sycamore Township has not placed a property tax levy on the ballot since 2006. At 8.76 mills, the township carries the lowest township tax rate in Hamilton County, according to the township's Spring 2026 quarterly newsletter. The next-lowest is Symmes Township at 18.1 mills.
For a typical $250,000 home in the township, the township portion of the annual property tax bill runs about $400, according to the same newsletter. The majority of the total bill goes to local school districts.
The budget document also projects $6.785 million in outstanding bond debt as of Friday, January 1, 2027, split between 2016 refunding bonds ($3.725 million, due December 2037) and 2022 public infrastructure tax increment revenue notes ($3.06 million, due December 2035).
What's next
The Sycamore Township Board of Trustees meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the Township Administration Building, 8540 Kenwood Road. The next meeting is Tuesday, August 5.
