PLYMOUTH — A property tax issue providing primary funding to Plymouth cemeteries was narrowly rejected by voters in November 2024.
A vote on that same issue Tuesday went a different direction.
Plymouth voters in Richland and Huron counties approved the renewal of a 1-mill, five-year property tax to fund the operation and maintenance of the village’s cemeteries.
According to final, unofficial vote totals from the Richland County Board of Elections, 37 voters were in favor of the renewal, while 26 voted against it.
Results from Plymouth residents who vote in Huron County were similar.
According to final, unofficial vote totals from the Huron County Board of Elections, 35 voters approved the renewal, while 15 cast their ballot against it.
As a renewal, the measure does not increase taxes. It continues a funding stream that has supported services such as mowing, tree trimming and grounds upkeep at Greenlawn and Pioneer Rest cemeteries.
Plymouth Fiscal Officer DiAnn Jamerson said the levy generates about $17,000 annually, covering personnel, equipment repairs and maintenance needs such as weed whacking and backhoe operation.
The tax will continue to cost property owners about $35 per $100,000 of property value.
Funds generated by the issue also ensure the cemeteries are kept landscaped and well maintained, Plymouth Mayor Cassaundra Fryman said Tuesday night.
“If they (cemeteries) start to fall into disrepair, people justifiably get very upset about it,” Fryman said. “Those are their loved ones. They want to make sure that the properties are taken care of.”
If the renewal had failed, the burden would have fallen on the village’s general fund, the mayor said.
Voters deny police levy
Plymouth voters denied a new 2-mill, five-year property tax levy aimed at strengthening the village’s police department.
According to final, unofficial vote totals from the Richland County Board of Elections, 28 voters were in favor of the new tax, but 35 voted against it.
In Huron County, the margin of defeat was even larger.
According to final, unofficial vote totals from the Huron County Board of Elections, 13 voters approved the levy, while 37 cast their ballot against it.
Fryman said the cost of having dispatching services provided to the police department is set to increase. This led Village Council to pass a resolution declaring the necessity of the measure in January.
The levy was proposed as an attempt to offset the increased cost, the mayor said.
“It’s definitely going to take a bite out of our general fund,” Fryman said. “We’re going to have to figure out where that is going to come from.”
While she hoped the measure would pass, Fryman said she knew it was sort of a “long shot” to try and get it passed during the May primary.
Jamerson previously said the tax would have generated approximately $48,800 per year, according to estimates from the Richland County Auditor’s office.
For a property valued at $100,000, the cost would have been roughly $70 annually.
Fryman said the increased pressure on the village’s general fund could slow the amount of projects completed around Plymouth.
“Our fiscal officer (Jamerson) is great at keeping us in the green,” the mayor said. “We’re not going to be at risk of going in the red in any way.
“It’s just things that we would like to do might have to slow down or we just might not be able to accomplish everything that we want to in a year,” Fryman said.
