MANSFIELD — City Council members largely opposed a request to put the water main initiative on the next local ballot at their meeting Tuesday.
The initiative proposes a 0.25% municipal income tax to be collected from Jan. 1, 2025 through Dec. 31, 2028.
Council previously approved the initiative for the November ballot in June. At-large City Councilwoman Stephanie Zader said it seemed “disrespectful” to put the initiative on the ballot again after it narrowly failed in November.
“I’m not opposed to the replacement of fire hydrants, I just wanna make that clear,” Zader said. “What I’m opposed to is saying to the voters, ‘your vote didn’t matter.’
“I didn’t like the fact that we did that before … We put it on the ballot, they spoke. I think it’s disrespectful to then come say, ‘Hey, guess what? Thanks for showing up, but we don’t care. We’re gonna put it on the ballot again.’ ”
Council voted 6-1 on Tuesday against putting the initiative on the ballot, but that doesn’t mean it can’t appear on March 19.
Mansfield attorney Eric Miller led the Mansfield Water Main Initiative in the 2023 general election and said he’s not sure if the citizen-led initiative will want to circulate petitions for March.
“It might be less expensive and less time-consuming for us as citizen volunteers to educate the public about the true cost and danger of delaying the replacement of corroded, failing water mains,” Miller said.
“As time progressed toward the November election, we found many people who originally opposed us became supporters once we explained the problem to them in person. But that takes time.
“Many of those who voted no could be won over if we had a few more months, some support from City Council, and another chance. The six city council members who voted against reconsidering this short-term tax did not make the problem go away,” Miller said.
Nearly 53% of votes cast on the water main issue in November were against the income tax, with 5,865 votes against and 5,251 in favor, according to the board of elections results.
The Ohio Revised Code states an initiative petition must receive the numerical equivalent of 10% of local voter participation in the most recent gubernatorial election. That translates to about 3,100 signatures based on the 2022 Richland County election results.
If the Water Main Initiative receives enough signatures, it must file the petition with the city auditor, who will transmit a certified copy to the board of elections within 10 days. The board of elections would then review the signatures and place the initiative on the ballot.
The deadline for all issues appearing on the primary ballot is 4 p.m. on Dec. 20.
Fourth Ward Councilman Alomar Davenport said he was voting against City Council placing the initiative on the ballot themselves, but “has no issue with it being on the ballot.”
“If you’re able to get the signatures, that means that the people want it on the ballot,” he said. “This committee still has time to go out and get the proper amount of signatures.”
Diaz sole council member to support placing initiative on the ballot again
Fifth Ward City Councilman Aurelio Diaz voted to put the initiative on the ballot again. He also read a letter in support of the water main tax from city resident Nancy Wooden, who wrote that her daughter and grandson died in a house fire in Reynoldsburg.
“I now take care of two grandchildren who miss their mother and their brother every hour of every day,” she wrote. “I think every day about people in Mansfield who live in front of bad fire hydrants.”
Diaz said he and other council members have received letters in support and against the initiative.
“Everything that was echoed by my fellow council members, I absolutely agree with what they’re saying in terms of respecting the voters,” he said. “But I also respect the voters whose choice didn’t result in a win.
“I respect that this committee is going to keep fighting for what they’re passionate about.”
If the Mansfield Water Main Initiative gains enough signatures to appear on the March 19 ballot, it could generate $18 million over its 4-year run. Collection of the tax would start in 2025 and could generate enough money to begin the process of replacing 53 miles of aging water lines, which affects 2,400 addresses in the city.
Also in Tuesday’s meeting, city council:
- completed the first reading of its 2024 temporary spending plan.
- honored Mansfield Fire Dept. Capt. Joe Boebel for 33 years of city fire service.
- approved the conditional use for “min-warehouses” in B-1 neighborhood business districts. Conditions include requiring at least a 3-acre lot, dark-sky compliant lighting and muted colors. Planning commission will still need to approve any conditional use permits sought under this change.
- approved a new lease with Mansfield Sky Club, LLC on the land currently known as Building #501 of the Mansfield Lahm Airport. Attorney Bud Vetter, who represents Dan and Brenda Niss, said the couple plans to demolish the building currently on the land and build a restaurant on the property. He said this would likely be a $1.5 million investment.
- Human relations director Sharon May discussed salary increases for elected officials and certain city personnel positions. Both pieces of legislation are scheduled for a second reading on Dec. 5 and a vote on Dec. 19.
