Wednesday, November 9th, 2022
Voters around the area passed school levies
By Daily Standard Staff
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
Mary Wright and Marty Hemmelgarn help voter Emily Nighswander check in at the Galleria in Celina on Tuesday afternoon.
CELINA - Area school districts found success at the polls on election night.
Maria Stein
Voters overwhelmingly approved the Marion Local Schools renewal of a 9-mill, 5-year emergency levy in Tuesday's election.
Unofficial results show 74.56% or 1,184 votes were cast in favor of the levy and 25.44% or 404 votes against it.
The current emergency levy is for 10 mills, but school treasurer Amy Reineke said the levy has been reduced to 9 mills because of an increase in the district valuation. The cost of the levy to the owner of a $100,000 home would be $315 per year.
The levy, which is for operating expenses, will generate $1.2 million per year. School officials report the levy has been collected since 2013.
St. Marys
St. Marys residents renewed a 1% five-year school operating levy with just over 52% of the votes, according to unofficial results. The levy is expected to generate more than $3 million for the district between January 2024 and December 2029. The levy will cover general expenses such as salaries, curriculum and classroom expenses as well as transportation and technology.
St. Marys City Schools Superintendent Bill Ruane acknowledged the tight margins and thanked supporters.
"I knew it would be close, it wasn't easy to pass the first time," Ruane said.
Ruane believes the economy and financial hardships factored into the way people voted. He gave credit to levy chairperson Kathy Sampson for her work in getting the levy renewed.
Ruane said school officials have worked hard to be fiscally conservative the last four years. He said they are seeing the results of their work towards furthering academics, arts and athletics.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
A voter fills out a ballot at the United Steelworkers Union Hall in St. Marys Tuesday afternoon.
Vantage Career Center
Area voters renewed Vantage Career Center's operating levy for the fourth time, according to unofficial election results.
Electors in Rockford, Dublin, Mendon Union, Hopewell, Liberty and Blackcreek townships in Mercer County passed the five-year, 0.8-mill tax levy with 1,181 votes in favor and 599 against, according to unofficial results.
Electors in Salem Township in Auglaize County passed the levy with two votes in favor and zero against. In Van Wert County, 7,310 votes were in favor and 2,447 against. In Allen County, 1,490 votes were in favor and 585 against.
In Putnam County, 3,949 votes were in favor and 1,272 against. In Paulding County, 4,398 votes were in favor and 1,989 against, according to the Paulding County Progress Newspaper.
The levy was first passed in 1989.
The levy will continue to collect $1.16 million annually for the center's general fund and costs the owner of a $100,000 home $18.87 per year.
Funds generated by the levy are used to pay for basic daily operational expenses, educational supplies and wages and benefits. The funds account for 13% of the center's operating budget. Without the funds, the center would be in deficit spending.
- Reporters Erin Gardner, Tom Millhouse and Bob Tomaszewski contributed to this story.
See all the local election results
here.
