In its third consecutive attempt, the Highlands County Children’s Services Levy – Number 10, a five-year, 0.9 mill renewal project “providing funds to support children’s services as well as as the care and placement of children” – unofficially failed again, as did a proposal to renew the Ministry of Health levy at a reduced rate.

Highland County voters didn’t know the unofficial totals until early Wednesday morning. After issuing three different absentee reports, the Board of Elections reported that technical difficulties had been going on for an hour as of 11:30 p.m., with no in-person votes counted.

The unofficial results were finally posted online at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, but as of 2:30 a.m. the board had not printed the final reports for those waiting in the Hi-TEC building as the board continued to count the ballots.

The county also saw high turnout, with an unofficial turnout of 71.3 percent in this year’s election, on par with the 72.4 percent turnout in the last presidential election in 2020 This included a 33.5 percent turnout via mail-in voting, unofficially.

For the Highland County Child Services Levy, unofficial results show the issue failing with 9,566 votes against the levy (51.7%) and 8,956 votes in favor, unofficially.

As previously reported, according to Jeremy Ratcliff, director of Highland County Job and Family Services, the child services agency listed the five-year renewal levy of .9 mill on the ballot. vote for the November 5 general election, as they are “on track to reach $4.1 million.” » in investment fees this calendar year. Of that $4 million, the levy would help offset “about 17 percent of what we need,” Ratcliff said July 17.

A proposed five-year replacement levy of 1 million for the agency failed in the general election on November 7, 2023. A later attempt to return to the previous level of 0.9 million, via a levy question during the primary election on March 19, was also rejected.

As mentioned, the other countywide levy, a replace-and-decrease proposal for the Department of Health (number 9), also failed unofficially, with 57.5 percent of voters (10,554 ) having voted against, compared to 7,814 in favor of the question.

This is a levy of 0.7 million over five years, proposed to replace two existing levies and to reduce by 0.3 million, because currently the Ministry of Health has two levies of half a thousand.

According to information Health Commissioner Jared Warner sent to commissioners earlier in June, “the Department of Health currently has two levies that support our operations each year,” with their first half-mill levy approved in 1987 and replaced in 2020, and a second. approved in 2000. While both levies are scheduled to be placed on the ballot this year, Warner said they are seeking to “consolidate the two existing levies into one ballot item.”

According to Warner, revenues from the current tax levy, now rejected, represent “between 40 and 50 percent” of the Ministry of Health’s budget each year, including 43.9 percent in 2023.

In other local levies and issues:

• The village of Leesburg (number 2) unofficially rejected a proposal granting the village “the authority to consolidate retail electric loads in the village (and) to enter into service agreements to facilitate the sale and purchase of electricity for these charges” for all residents. except those who disengage. Unofficial votes show 220 no votes and 204 yes votes, a race that may be too close to call at this time. A similar issue was adopted in Hillsboro in 2023.

• Voters in the village of Mowrystown (number 3) unofficially rejected an additional five million levy over five years for current expenses, with 74 voters against the levy and 53 unofficially in favour.

• Voters in Greenfield South (Number 5) unofficially approved a local alcohol option regarding Sunday sales at La Bamba/El Canon, a Mexican restaurant on Jefferson Street. The question received an unofficial number of 204 yes votes and 98 no votes.

• Voters in Clay Township (number 6) informally approved/rejected the renewal of a five-year, 5-mill levy to maintain and operate the township’s cemeteries.

• Voters in Marshall Township (No. 7) unofficially approved a proposal to renew the tax levy for fire expenses by a margin of 319 to 165. The issue was billed as a $3.9 mill levy on five years “for the purpose of providing and maintaining fire apparatus, appliances, buildings and related sites, as well as sources of water supply and equipment, and the payment of permanent indemnities, on time partial or”. volunteer firefighters or firefighting companies to operate them. It also includes the purchase of “ambulance equipment and the provision of ambulance, paramedic or other emergency medical services operated by a fire department or firefighting company.”

• Voters in Fairfield West (number 8) unofficially decided that the Highland 1st Stop would be allowed to sell beer, wine and mixed drinks, unofficially passing the alcohol option question with 269 votes for and 80 votes against.

For another roundup of local elections, see the story at: https://highlandcountypress.com/news/2024-election-roundup-greenfield-v….

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