2023 General Election: Highland County Children Services levy fails; Madison Township voters reject tax levy for law enforcement services

Voters in Highland County considered a combined total of 17 issues and options on the Nov. 7 general election ballot, with the lone countywide issue — a Children Services levy replacement — failing, while the statewide issues passed overall despite overwhelming opposition in Highland County.

Highland County had a 43.7-percent voter turnout overall, according to the Highland County Board of Elections. There are 30 absentee ballots and 133 provisional ballots outstanding.

Unofficial results show Issue 14, the Highland County Children Services replacement levy, failing with 6,471 votes against the levy and 4,915 votes for the levy.

As previously reported, Highland County commissioners voted in August to approve a request from Highland County Job & Family Services Director Jeremy Ratcliff to seek the five-year, one-mill replacement levy for Children Services, amid rising cases and associated costs for the agency over the past several year.

The current tax levy, which was first approved in November 2013 and renewed by voters in November 2018, is a five-year, .9-mill levy for Children Services placement costs and expires Dec. 31. Ratcliff said in May that the levy generates approximately $700,000 per year for the agency. The proposed levy replacement would have been an approximate increase of $12 per year per $100,000 valuation.

In July, Ratcliff spoke to commissioners about the number of children in the agency’s care — including foster care placements or kinship placements — in 2023 compared to a decade ago when the levy was first approved by voters.

“When the original levy was passed, during that calendar year, we had 253 kids in care at any point,” Ratcliff said July 26. “Not all at one time, but during the year 2013. By 2018, that had jumped to 297 at any point during the year.

“The most recent full year was last year, ’22, and we had 425 kids in care at any point during the year. I just ran the first six months of this year, and we’re at 338 already, in January through June of this year.”

Along with the Children Services levy, Highland County voters also considered the two statewide issues, Issue 1, regarding abortion/reproductive rights, and Issue 2, regarding legalizing marijuana. Both issues failed locally by wide margins, although the Associated Press called both races earlier in the night as having passed statewide.

Issue 1 failed in Highland County with 7,773 votes against the issue and 3,924 votes for it. As of this article’s posting, with 94.5 percent of the statewide precincts reporting, the issue passed with 56.04 percent “yes” votes.

Issue 2 also failed in Highland County, though by a less significant margin, with 6,255 votes against the issue and 5,337 votes for it. As of this article’s posting, with 94.5 percent of the statewide precincts reporting, the issue passed with 56.6 percent “yes” votes.

Articles about the statewide issues, written by Susan Tebben and Megan Henry of the Ohio Capital Journal, respectively, can be viewed at https://highlandcountypress.com/news/ohio-voters-pass-issue-1-constitut… and https://highlandcountypress.com/news/ohioans-vote-legalize-recreational….

In other local issues, a tax levy for Madison Township to continue contracting with the Greenfield Police Department for law enforcement services, instead of the Highland County Sheriff’s Office, failed. Issue 6 had 429 votes against the levy and 127 votes in favor of it, unofficially. The issue was for a three-year, eight-mill levy in order to pay for continued services with the GPD.

As previously reported, in a letter to Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera dated June 28, Madison Township trustees said: "After much debate and discussion, as of July 1, 2023, the trustees have decided to utilize the Greenfield Police Department for all their law enforcement issues. This will free up deputies from making the 20-minute drive to Greenfield and also allows for a quicker response for our citizens by Greenfield Police. We have discussed this proposal with the Village of Greenfield and they are willing to take on this task. In November, we are trying to pass a levy for said police protection. If the levy fails, we will re-evaluate the situation and contact you."

According to Greenfield City Manager Todd Wilkin, the township contracted for Greenfield Police Department services through the end of the year for $40,000.

Below is a recap of other unofficial results for local issues and options.

• Issue 3, considered by Brushcreek Township voters, unofficially passed, 211-119. This is a 1-mill renewal levy, for a continuing period of time, for township cemetery operations and maintenance.

• Issue 4, also considered by Brushcreek only, also unofficially passed, 187-139. This is an additional tax levy — 2 mills, for a continuing period of time — for firefighting services and supplies.

• Issue 5, for Dodson Township, passed with an unofficial 230 votes for it and 112 against it. This is a half-mill, five-year tax renewal levy for cemetery maintenance and operations.
 
• Issue 7, for Salem Township, passed by a margin of 176-101. This is a 0.8-mill, five-year renewal levy for cemetery maintenance.

• Issue 8, which was considered by voters in Highland County’s Clay Township as well as voters in Brown County, unofficially passed. The issue had 865 votes in Brown County and 223 votes in Highland County in its favor, and 728 votes against it in Brown County and 171 votes against in Highland County, for a total unofficial margin of 1,088-899. This is an additional tax levy — one mill, for a continuing period of time — for the Eastern Joint Fire and EMS District for firefighting services and supplies.

• Issue 9 was voted on by residents in the Village of Leesburg and in Fairfield and Penn townships, with unofficial results showing the levy passing, 874-424. This is an additional 1.74-mill levy for a continuing period of time for firefighting services and supplies.

• Issue 10, another fire-related levy, overwhelmingly passed by voters in the Village of Lynchburg and Dodson, Hamer, Salem and Union townships (plus one Clinton County voter), 1,060-470. This is a replacement of two existing levies for the Lynchburg Area Joint Fire and Ambulance District for firefighting services and supplies. The new levy, as proposed, is a 5.5-mill levy for a continuing period of time.

• Issue 11, which was on the ballot for Fairfield West voters only, unofficially passed, but by a margin that may be too close to call. There were 33 votes for the levy and 22 against it, unofficially. This is a 2.5-mill, five-year tax renewal for the Village of Highland for current expenses.

• Issue 12, which was considered by the Village of Lynchburg — including Highland County voters and one voter in Clinton County — unofficially passed, 283-179. This is a five-mill, five-year tax replacement levy for police salaries.

• Issue 13, considered by Mowrystown voters only, unofficially failed in another race too close to call. Unofficially, there were 39 votes against the levy and 37 votes for it. This is a five-mill, five-year renewal levy for the Village of Mowrystown for current expenses.

• Issue 15, considered by voters in the Greenfield South precinct, unofficially passed, 251-86. This is a local option for Sunday sales for VFW Post 4736 in Greenfield.

• Issue 16 and Issue 17, two related options regarding the Hillsboro Event Center LLC, were unofficially approved by voters in the Hillsboro Northwest-19 precinct.

Issue 16 is for the sale of wine and mixed beverages to be permitted by Hillsboro Event Center, “a holder of D1, D2 and D3 liquor permits” and passed, 284-133, unofficially. Issue 17 is for the sale of wine and mixed beverages by the center as “an applicant for a D6 liquor permit” and passed 282-132, unofficially.