Alexandria voters approved an income tax levy by one vote in the May 6 primary election, according to preliminary results from the Licking County Board of Elections.
The levy will increase the existing income tax in the village from 1% to 1.5%, which will generate an additional $90,000 annually for the village operations.
The vote was 58 for the levy and 57 against.
Because some late-arriving absentee ballots and provisional ballots have yet to be counted, the results could change even if the outcome remains the same when the elections board certifies the results on May 19.
“There could be more votes added before it’s official, and that’s common,” Elections Board Director Brian Mead said on Thursday, May 8.
If the final results remain as close as they are now, it could trigger a recount.
Recounts are automatic when the “difference between votes cast for a declared winning nominee, candidate, question or issue, and a declared losing nominee, candidate, question or issue is equal to or less than one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the total votes cast in the candidate contest, question, or issue,” according to the Ohio Secretary of State Election Official Manual.
Although the count could change, Alexandria leaders are excited by the preliminary results and are hopeful the apparent win will stand.
“I feel like we’ve maybe tapped into something good in Alexandria and what we’re doing, and we got the support by one vote,” Alexandria Mayor Sean Barnes said. “[I’m] very excited for what we can do. I really think it’s going to open a lot of doors for us.”
During the November election, the Village of Alexandria sought approval of a replacement property tax levy, but it was rejected by 52% of voters – 142 residents. The levy failure resulted in a reduction of 18% of Alexandria’s operating funding.
On April 1, Barnes sent an email to residents with information about the income tax levy in the May primary.
“Without this increase, the Village will be in a very challenging position to plan for and manage growth and will continue to struggle to provide consistent maintenance and public safety in our Village,” Barnes wrote in the email.
Barnes understands that some residents may have voted against the levy because they feel financial pressures. But Barnes is confident that with more funding, the village council can show the community that they have their best interest in mind.
Barnes believes that this win shows that the people of Alexandria recognize the good work that the village council has done in the past year.
“There are enough people that are conscientious about what’s happening, and they’re concerned,” Barnes said.
Barnes said that after the election is certified on May 19, Alexandria will most likely plan for infrastructure projects for next year. He hopes the village will pay for more police hours for their part-time police department.
The funds also could go toward hiring a part-time maintenance position for the village. The funds also can help with creating a comprehensive plan and other planning tools that will help Alexandria prepare for future development.
“We’ve just got to be looking forward and what we can do to keep improving,” Barnes said.
Caroline Zollinger writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.