Complete coverage
You can count on the News-Sun to provide you with in-depth coverage on all the key election issues as we approach the primary in May and the general election in November.
Two income tax levies and two renewal levies will appear on the ballot in May.
Voters in the Northeastern Local School District will be asked to approve a 1-percent, 10-year earned income tax levy on the May ballot. If approved, it would generate $4.1 million annually.
This will be the fifth time a proposed tax increase will be put before voters since 2012.
In August, the district asked voters to approve a 1-percent, five-year earned income tax levy, but it was rejected by 151 votes.
Superintendent Lou Kramer said the district has gained more voters in favor of the tax since it has been on the ballot.
“Certainly that trend in the right direction towards passage is something that is really encouraging to us,” he said.
The district needs additional funding as the it has not had an operating levy approved since 2004, Kramer said.
Approximately 50 percent of Northeastern’s funding is made up of state money, while the rest is local dollars, he said. Kramer added that the district cannot continue to operate effectively without additional local revenue.
Officials changed the number of years of the tax from five years to 10 years to ensure district financial stability over a longer period of time, he said.
“The 10 years allows the district, if the levy was passed, to have a little bit more stability without being back on the ballot within a couple of years,” Kramer said. “With our fifth attempt, certainly Northeastern’s name has been on that ballot a number of times in recent years. Perhaps would keep us off of that and avoid some voter fatigue.”
Since 2012, the board has taken steps to reduce spending as part of a fiscal wellness plan. That has resulted in a 10 percent staff reduction and the implementation of pay-to-participate extra-curricular fees, among other cuts.
The district is currently undergoing an efficiency review and comparison study for operations, Kramer said. If the tax fails, he said the district would look to that study to determine if there’s a need to make additional cuts.
Voters in New Carlisle will be asked again to vote on a half-percent income tax levy.
If approved, the tax will generate $500,000 for police protection. New Carlisle already has a 1 percent income tax.
Mayor Lowell McGlothin has said the money is desperately needed to run the city.
“Our costs are going up tremendously, just like everybody’s household. Unfortunately, the state is cutting, cutting, cutting. There are monies that we used to get that we’re no longer getting. That’s why we’re running into the problems that we’re running into,” he said recently.
Voters overwhelmingly rejecting a half-percent income tax levy on the November ballot.
The lack of additional money for police forced the city to reduce the number of deputies assigned to the city from four to two — saving the city about $190,000 a year.
The city must trim a minimum of $300,000 from its general fund to avoid ending the year with less than $400 or go into deficit spending, City Manager Kim Jones said.
Springfield City School District will ask voters to approve a five-year, 7-mill renewal levy for operating funds.
If approved, the levy is expected to generate an estimated $3.8 million annually. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $224 annually. The levy would not increase taxes because it is a renewal levy.
Mad River Twp. has placed a .8-mill, five-year renewal levy on the ballot for fire equipment.
If approved, the levy would generate more than $175,000, according to the Clark County Auditor’s Office. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $80 per year, but because it is a renewal it will not increase taxes.
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