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BRIDGEPORT - Voters were largely feeling generous on Tuesday, approving all but one of the levies that appeared on local ballots.
According to unofficial vote totals released by the Belmont County Board of Elections on Tuesday night, an additional property tax levy for the village of Bridgeport for current operating expenses was the only measure that failed. In the end, only 102 voters supported the measure while 127 cast ballots against it.
Mayor Norma Teasdale was disappointed but determined to move ahead despite the lack of funding.
"We will continue on," she said. "We will do the best we can with our budget."
She said it would be up to council members to decide if they want to place another measure before voters in the summer or fall. She noted the money would have supported streets, sewers and utilities and said its failure will curtail planned paving.
"We have to pave some," she added. "All the streets are bad."
She expressed appreciation to the voters who did vote for the levy.
In Barton, though, Fire Chief Kirk Smolenak was "elated" by the unofficial election results, which showed a replacement levy for Barton Crescent Fire District No. 5 passing by a vote of 209-105. The chief said the 5-mill levy was intended to pay for an additional person to staff the station along with him, improving the department's response times. The county auditor estimates the continuing levy will collect $206,000 annually, which amounts to $175 for each $100,000 of a property's appraised value.
"We will have a full crew now to decrease response time and help us get there quicker, and it will be better off for our residents," Smolenak said. "Some of those calls in the Maynard area, when minutes count, that's two to three minutes I don't have to wait around for another person to come."
He added that the revenue will allow the department to start saving for a new fire engine, noting that the reserve engine is 37 years old. And, he said, it may provide money for a loan down payment as the department works toward construction of a new station.
"I want to thank the voters for passing this through," he said. "The margin of win was very good.
"We're happy for neighbors in Wolfhurst, too. Their levy passed also," he continued. Belmont County, the voters take care of their fire departments because they know how important we are. That's a good feeling to know you are needed that much."
In Wolfhurst, an increased property tax for the Pease-Colerain Fire District No. 1 was approved to replace the existing 3-mill levy with a 7-mill measure for providing and maintaining fire or ambulance apparatus, buildings or sites, sources of water supply and materials, establishment and maintenance of lines of fire alarm telegraph, or the payment of permanent, part-time or volunteer firemen of firefighting companies. The county auditor estimates it will collect $298,000 annually and would cost $245 for each $100,000 appraised property value. The continuing measure will first be due in 2025. Fire Chief Matt Otto could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
In Harrison County, voters were asked to approve a 1-mill, five-year levy for police protection, including salaries and equipment for the sheriff's office.
A second levy, 1.5 mills for five years, was on the ballot for maintenance and operation of the Harrison County home.
In Monroe County, Washington Township residents were asked to give the nod to a 0.5-mill levy for five years for fire protection. The county auditor estimates it will generate $31,000 a year, costing the owner of a property assessed at $100,000 about $17.50 annually. They voted 64-53 in favor of the measure.
And Woodsfield residents approved a 3-mill levy for police protection and police capital expenditures for five years. The measure is estimated to collect $109,000 annually. It will cost property owners $105 for each $100,000 of assessed value. A total of 199 voters cast ballots in favor, while 160 voted against it.