However, Lemon Twp. voters rejected a five-year, 3-mill police services levy by fewer than 50 votes, the same margin Tuesday night, according to unofficial results.
The outcome of those issues and several others were unclear Tuesday night as nearly 5,000 paper absentee ballots were not included in the totals as of this newspaper’s deadline Tuesday night. The Butler County Board of Elections reported technical issues with the scanning process of the paper ballots.
Despite the uncertainty Tuesday night, those in Fairfield Twp. remained positive.
“The way I look at it, compared to the last levy, we had many wins, and I’ve been very encouraged by what I witnessed,” said interim Fairfield Twp. administrator Julie Vonderhaar. “We’ve had less opposition and more positivity, and had more residents asking questions … and I’m very encouraged.”
The outstanding ballots only moved the margin of victory closer as it passed with 50.4 percent of the vote. Tuesday night, voters were passing the levy with 50.6 percent of the vote.
“This time in my gut I had felt more positive, and I’m not surprised we have the edge,” Vonderhaar said Tuesday night.
The new 3.9-mill levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $136.50 more per year in property taxes. It would generate $1.6 million a year to be shared between the fire and police departments. The previous attempt that failed in May was for 4.9 mills and would have generated $2 million a year.
The levy in May failed with around 61 percent of voters going against the levy.
Since 2012, the township had been transferring money from the general fund to cover shortfalls as expenses mounted in the safety departments. If the transfers continued, the general fund stood to be nearly depleted by 2018, severely endangering the township’s financial health.
But continuing to transfer funds to the police and fire, is not a long-term solution.
Fairfield Twp. Trustee President Shannon Hartkemeyer said she’s grateful Fairfield Twp. residents have, at this point, approved the levy.
“This will allow Fairfield Twp. to continue to thrive and grow and be a vibrant community,” she said.
Fairfield Twp. resident Tamika Speed supported the levy after leaving the polling location Tuesday afternoon at the Butler County Board of Elections.
“I definitely want our police and fire departments to stay here in the township,” she said.
Lemon Twp. police services levy
Meanwhile, voters in Lemon Twp. voted against its five-year, 3-mill police services levy, but there was less than a 50-vote margin Tuesday night and as of Wednesday morning 59.8 percent of voters said “no” to the levy request.
Township Trustee Joe Routson said voters approved a fire levy last year and hoped the police services levy would have had the same success.
If the levy was approved, it would have generated $75,236 a year during the five-year period, according to the Butler County Auditor’s Office, and would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $105 a year.
The township opted to drop its contract with Monroe for police services, instead contracting with the Butler County Sheriff’s office for $15,000 for extra patrols.
Butler County Elderly Services levy
Butler County Elderly Services passed despite the sizable number of countywide votes not included in Tuesday night’s unofficial count.
More than 74 percent of county voters supported the 1.3-mill renewal levy, and if all uncounted votes went against the levy, it would not have made a difference.
The renewal of the Butler County Elderly Services levy will still cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $40 a year.
The levy was needed because the expiring levy was expected to bring in $9.6 million this year, with an expected $8.6 million carryover to help meet the bills. The renewal levy would bring in around $48 million over five years.
The average cost per month for the county’s elderly services program, which provides transportation, meals, emergency monitoring and other services, is $361. Assisted living is $1,688 and nursing home care is about $4,340.
Cynthia Stever, president of the Elderly Services Advisory Council, could not be reached for comment Tuesday night, but previously told the Journal-News the services would have disappeared if voters did not support the levy.
The first elderly services levy passed in 1996 and has gotten approval ever since, including 70 percent approval the last time it was on the ballot in 2010.
She said the levy comprises 92 percent of the funding for the Elderly Services Program “so it’s a significant piece and there is no other funding source.”
Other levies
The Village of College Corner’s five-year, 5.2-mill renewal fire levy has gotten 73 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results of the Butler County and Preble County boards of election.
Every five years the village of College Corner needs to get its fire levy passed by voters for a service it contracts with itself.
The village of College Corner, which has an Ohio population of just more than 400, sits in two states and three counties. There are roughly 650 people that live in College Corner, Ind.
Because the majority of the village is in Indiana, it must contract with its fire department stationed in Indiana to provide fire service in Ohio.
St. Clair Twp. voters have said “no” to the township’s 1-mill levy, which would cost owners of a $100,000 home $35 a year in new taxes.
The “no” votes outgained the “yes” votes by way of 68 to 32 percent.
St. Clair Twp. trustee vice president Gary Couch said the township needs the additional tax revenue because of the state cuts that have hit local governments since 2011 when Gov. John Kasich’s first biennium budget was approved by the Ohio General Assembly.
Couch said the township’s general fund budget has been cut by about 40 percent so far, and “we’re going to get more, they’re not done (with cuts).”
College Corner Local Schools have received 80.4 percent of the vote, according to unofficial votes in Butler County and Preble County.
The College Corner Local School District, which is part of the multi-state Union County College Corner Local Schools, asked voters in Butler and Preble counties to approve a 6.5-mill levy designed to improve the campus of the district’s school building.
The five-year renewal levy is designed to generate $69,570 a year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $170.97 a year. College Corner Superintendent Lynn Sheets said the primary reason for the levy is for permanent improvements for the school.
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