Funding

MCD funding comes from assessments paid by property owners who receive benefits from services provided by Miami Conservancy District — Flood Protection, the Groundwater Preservation Program and Recreational Amenities. The funding mechanism is provided for in the Ohio Conservancy Act.

MCD's main funding comes from assessments. MCD also can receive funding through grants, agreements and other sources.

Flood Protection – Main District
MCD can levy two types of flood protection assessments: one for construction and one for maintenance.

Initial funding to build the flood protection system was entirely paid for by the people of the Miami Valley. No federal or state funds were used for the design or construction of the system. Construction debt was financed through bonds that were retired in 1949. At that time, assessments were reduced to a level required to provide for the ongoing maintenance of the flood protection system.

In 1999, MCD began a temporary construction assessment to pay for a capital improvement project known as the Dam Safety Initiative. The project is designed to ensure the ongoing safety and integrity of the flood protection system.

Aquifer Preservation Subdistrict
MCD’s work in preserving groundwater is funded by a unit assessment, levied against each of the nine counties within the program boundaries. Each county has the option to pay the assessment out of its general fund or to spread the assessment over all properties within the program area.

River Corridor Improvement Subdistrict
The political entities where recreational amenities are located pay an annual assessment to MCD’s River Corridor Subdistrict to provide maintenance for bikeways, low dams and recreational trail bridges in Montgomery and Butler counties.

The Board of Appraisers set benefits for each type of structure based on its replacement value. An assessment rate — established by the board — is applied to these benefits to establish the annual assessment. The concept is very similar to how assessments are established for streetlights or curb and sidewalk improvements found on your property tax bill.