Mansfield Senior High School’s community room erupted with cheers and clapping as it was announced that the Mansfield City Schools Levy passed. The 10.1-mill levy passed by 419 votes (2803 for and 2384 against, or 54.04 percent to 45.96 percent). The levy joined many other levies around the county in receiving voter approval.
“This is a big night for Mansfield City Schools. We’re very appreciative of the voters who turned out to support the levy. That means that we continue with the programs that we have in place for student achievement,” stated Superintendent Brian Garverick. The levy is reported to replace money that was voted against in 2012. The money is not being used for permanent improvement money, but is going towards the general fund. For an $80,000 home in Mansfield it will cost about $23.57 per month.
On an election day free of precipitation and with high of 59 degrees, Richland County’s voter turnout was lower than expected. “The voter turnout was about 24.7 percent this year which is surprisingly low because we were expecting about 30 percent. We were surprised with the passage of the levies, but it is great because it shows how much the community cares about making Richland County a good place to live,” said Chairman of the Board of Elections Mike Casto.
In Ontario, voters selected Randy Hutchinson as the city’s new mayor with the mayor-elect earning 71.34 percent of total votes cast.
Hutchinson said he planned to further the recent growth of businesses in the city, “My first order of business when I take office is finding where we are with infrastructure projects and what we need to take care of with the city. I care deeply for the citizens and the city and we want to make it even better that it is,” said Hutchinson.
The Richland County Senior Services levy renewal passed by a wide margin, gaining 71.78 percent of total votes for the levy to 28.22 percent against. The 1-mill levy will continue to provide services and care for the residents over the age of 60 in North Central Ohio. The levy does not generate new tax dollars for taxpayers because it is a renewal and is good for five years.
The levy will draw $33 a year from the owner of a $100,000 house. Its primary purpose is to provide services and care for senior citizens who are striving for independence. The levy will provide matching funds to allow the Agency on Aging to collect $650,000 a year. Less than six percent of the money generated from the levy will be used for administration. The remaining 94 percent will be invested in the service and support offered through the agency. “We’re absolutely thrilled and excited to continue on with our services that we provide to seniors in Richland County,” stated Bev Rosich, Communications Manager with the Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc.
The Health Department Levy passed 12,502/7,325, 63.06 percent for and 36.94 percent against. The levy is a 0.5-mill, 10-year renewal of the 2003 replacement for the original 1994 levy, which contributes to funding the department’s more than 60 public health services.
It will cost a property owner $17.50/$100,000.00 valuation/year. Selby Dorgan, the Manager of Health Promotion/Education at the Mansfield/Ontario/Richland County Health Department, stated, “We want to extend our thanks to the voters in Richland County for supporting the levy. We know that the voters recognize the importance of public health and we’re pleased to provide residents with quality services. The levy will support the clinic, environmental health, and health education programs. On behalf of our dedicated staff, we want to say thank you.”
The City of Mansfield’s levy passed 3369/3220 with 51.13 percent in favor to 48.87 percent against. This two percent income tax will earmark funds for safety, parks, demolitions, and street lights. The levy will raise the income tax by a quarter percent and will generate $3 million a year, $12 million over a four-year period.
The Mansfield homeowner who earns a $35,000 income will to pay 24 cents a day. The tax does not affect those who are currently on Social Security. City employee and levy committee chair, Mark Abrams, said, “We’re happy that the levy passed and we appreciate the support of the Mansfield residents. Now the real work begins: we’re going to go along the lines of what’s stated in the levy with the parks, safety, demolitions, and so on. There won’t be an immediate impact, but hopefully over next eight months there will be.”
North of Mansfield, the city of Shelby passed a 0.2 percent income tax levy that will focus on road repair and will also bring a boost outside the tax monies raised.
“We will get the biggest states routes paved and we will be able to partner with ODOT. We will only have to pay 30 percent of the costs, which is huge for us. There are some streets in Shelby that are in need of being paved and we plan to get on that. We are all very excited about the passage of this levy and we want to thank the voters for their support,” said Zoning Inspector of Shelby, Joseph Gies.
The Richland County children services levy also passed. “I want to thank the voters who came out and supported the levy. We will continue to serve our local families and children,” said Richland County Children Services public information and community outreach supervisor Carl Hunnell.
Mansfield City School Levy
Status: Passes
Total Votes 5187
For: 54.04%
Against: 45.96%
Richland County Senior Citizens Services Renewal Levy
