Voters approve Council on Aging levies

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The big winner among the November general election issues was the two replacement levies sought by the Van Wert County Council on Aging, while voters split on the three state issues on Tuesday’s ballot.

Council on Aging Executive Director Cindy Wood said she was

“Obviously, we’re ecstatic with the vote,” Wood said, noting that margin of victory was more than 75-25 percent on both the 0.2-mill and 0.25-mill replacement tax issues sought by the agency. “I think that says a lot for our staff and what we’ve been doing over the past three years, and how we’ve grown … the results give us the opportunity to grow even further and service the Baby Boomers.”

Wood said she felt the results were a “vote of confidence” for the Council on Aging, adding that she and her staff were be “going back to the drawing board” to see whether some services can be added over the five years the levies will be in force.

“We’re just very, very pleased with the result,” Wood said.

Like Ohio voters overall, county voters echoed the statewide results on the three statewide issues. Local and Ohio voters weren’t kind to State Issue 1, which would have increased the maximum age a judge could run from 70 to 75, downing it 5,635 to 2,872 — a nearly 2-1 margin. State Issue 2 also was defeated in the county and statewide, losing 4,918-3,854 in the county. Issue 3, a state health care initiative opposed to some of the federal health care requirements, was passed in the county and Ohio, with county voters voting 6,470-2,185 in favor of the issue.

Local voters also approved 12 of 14 electricity aggregation issues, with only Willshire village and Willshire Township voters defeating aggregation issues. Those approved were in Van Wert city, the villages of Convoy and Middle Point and in Harrison, Jackson, Jennings, Liberty, Pleasant, Ridge, Union, Washington and York townships.

Crestview voters also approved renewal levies, with a 2-mill, five-year permanent improvement levy passing 933-617 and a 2.5-mill, five-year renewal for emergency measures garnering approval, 929-630.

Other issues approved on Tuesday include the following:

• Two 2-mill, five-year current expenses renewals in Convoy.
• A 1.2-mill, five-year fire protection renewal in Venedocia.
• A 1.2-mill replacement and 0.2-mill increase for three years in Liberty Township (excluding Ohio City).
• A 1.3-mill, three-year renewal for fire protection in Tully Township (excluding Convoy).
• A 1.0-mill, five-year renewal for current expenses in Union Township.
• A 1-mill, five-year replacement levy for fire protection in Washington Township’s West Fire District.
• A Sunday liquor sales issue in Pleasant East Precinct for Van Wert Golf LLC.

Middle Point village voters turned down a 2.9-mill, five-year new levy for current expenses, 110-62, while voters in Van Wert Precinct 3A were deadlocked 152-152 over a Sunday liquor sales issue sought by All Sports Foods LLC, which operates Fricker’s restaurant in Van Wert.