Council on Aging levies lead ballot issues

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

In addition to the three state issues, there a number of local issues on Tuesday’s general election ballot, with the two levies sought by the Van Wert County Council on Aging receiving the most voter attention.

The Van Wert County Board of Commissioners approved resolutions back in July to place two replacement tax issues — for 0.2 mill and 0.25 mill — to replace tax levies of the same millage that are due to expire in the next few months.

The decision was made to replace the current levies, rather than just renew them, so that more revenues would be generated to cover rising costs and increased use of the Council on Aging facility and its services, according to Council on Aging Executive Director Cindy Wood.

Without the revenues from the replacement levies, Wood told the commissioners, the agency would have to close its doors.

“I’ve told people, ‘look, if these levies fail, we close,’” Wood has said, noting further that, unlike many agencies with “county” in their names, the Council on Aging receives no funding from the county.

The situation is critical, Wood has said, noting that her agency has done what it could to cut costs since she became director three years ago.

“Two months after I took this job, we started hacking away,” Wood said of her cost-cutting efforts, noting that the agency’s staff was cut from 12 people to seven in the past three years.

Unfortunately, the agency has no more fat to cut, Wood said, while also adding that use of the facility and services is increasing — especially with the Baby Boomer generation now beginning to reach the age where they are eligible for the services provided by the agency.

Both of the current levies have been on the books for more than a decade, with the current 0.2-mill levy first passed in November 1987, and replaced in 2006, and the 0.25-mill levy first passed in November 1997 and renewed twice. Both levies would run for five years.

In addition, the 0.2-mill levy is shared with Delphos Senior Citizens Social Services, which decreases the amount is available for Van Wert County senior citizens.

Other issues on the ballot include two renewal levies for Crestview Local Schools: a 2-mill permanent improvement levy and a 2.5-mill emergency requirements levy.

The county also has two Sunday alcohol sales issues, one in Van Wert Precinct 3A sought by Fricker’s restaurant, and one in Pleasant Township East Precinct for Hickory Sticks Golf Club, doing business as Van Wert Golf LLC.

A number of villages and townships also have tax issues on the November ballot. They include two renewals of 2-mill current expenses levies in Convoy, a new 2.9-mill, five-year current expenses levy in Middle Point and a 1.2-mill, five-year fire protection renewal levy in Venedocia, along with a 1.2-mill replacement fire protection levy in Liberty Township (excluding Ohio City), as well as a 0.2-mill increase, making a total of 1.4 mills for three years; a 1.3-mill, three-year fire protection renewal in Tully Township (excluding Convoy); a 1-mill, five-year renewal current expenses levy in Union Township; and a 1-mill, five-year replacement fire protection levy in Washington Township’s West Fire District.

In addition to the tax issues, there are also electricity aggregation issues in the communities of Van Wert, Convoy, Middle Point and Willshire, and the townships of Harrison, Jackson, Jennings, Liberty, Pleasant, Ridge, Union, Washington, Willshire and York.

The aggregation issues would allow the “bundling” of electric power customers in those areas for the purpose of negotiating for lower electric rates. At the present time, electric customers could save as much as 8 percent on their electric bills through aggregation.

Van Wert County races will be in Tuesday’s independent