Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

All Mercer and Auglaize levies pass at polls

Election results

From staff reports
All local levies in Mercer and Auglaize counties passed at the polls Tuesday.
Across the state, the election featured 128 school taxes on the ballots, and results were mixed, according to the Associated Press this morning. School superintendents where levies went down blamed the poor economy.
Locally, levies passed for Mercer County MR/DD, the village of Rockford and Parkway, St. Henry, New Bremen and St. Marys schools.
Voter turnout was 21 percent in Auglaize County and just 12 percent in Mercer County.
Mercer MR/DD
Mercer County voters made it perfectly clear they support those with mental and physical disabilities.
The proposed five-year, 1.36-mill levy was overwhelmingly passed with 84 percent voting for its renewal. It will continue to generate $1.479 million annually for a variety of programs such as early childhood intervention, preschool programs, CA Industries (adult workshop) and others.
Homeowners with property valued at $100,000 will continue to pay about $40 per year for the levy.
The ballot tally concluded with 2,860 for the levy and 550 against.
Rockford village
Rockford village's 2.8-mill renewal levy passed easily with 75 percent voting yes. With 126 voters at the polls, 94 voted yes and 32 said no.
The current levy, which expires at the end of 2009, brings in $21,225. This five-year renewal will generate the same amount.
Services supplied by the levy include police protection, street lights, the annual cleanup day and others.
Homeowners with property valued at $100,000 will continue to pay about $41.79 per year for the levy.
Parkway Local Schools
Parkway school district voters in Mercer County handily passed the five-year, 1.5-mill permanent improvement levy, 63 percent to 37 percent.
With 514 votes cast, 323 voted for the levy and 191 voted against. In Van Wert County, school district residents there voted 29 for the levy and 24 against. There was one no vote in Auglaize County.
The primary use for the levy money will be new buses, according to Superintendent Greg Puthoff. The levy will generate $121,500 annually, which is no new cost to taxpayers.
Homeowners with property valued at $100,000 will continue to pay about $30 per year for the levy.
St. Henry Consolidated Local Schools
Seventy-five percent of St. Henry school district voters were in favor of renewing their current school levy when they cast their ballots on Tuesday.
The five-year, 8.7-mill levy passed with 767 yes votes; 255 residents opposed it. The tally includes 46 votes from Darke County residents in the St. Henry school district.
The levy asked voters to renew the current 8.5-mill emergency levy at an increased rate of 8.7 mills, to collect approximately $780,000 for operating costs - an increase of about $50,000. The current levy expires Dec. 31.
At the same time, the school's bond levy is being decreased by 0.6 mill to 4 mills, which will save taxpayers about $50,000 - equal to the amount of the new levy. Taxes paid by residents will remain about the same.
A homeowner with property valued at $100,000 will continue to pay approximately $247 per year.
St. Marys City Schools
Voters in the St. Marys City Schools district passed the five-year, 6.8-mill operational levy by about 11 percent. Of the 1,844 total voters, 1,015 were for the levy and 829 voted against it.
The levy will continue funding day-to-day operational costs and generate $1.83 million per year, which is no new cost to taxpayers.
Homeowners with property valued at $100,000 will continue to pay about $214.20 per year for the levy.
New Bremen Local Schools
Voters in the New Bremen Local Schools soundly approved renewal of a 1 percent income tax levy by a vote of 543 (67.2 percent) to 265 (32.8 percent).
The income tax first approved by voters in November 2004 generated nearly $1.5 million or 18 percent of the school district budget in 2008. Unlike property tax millage, the amount of revenue fluctuates along with residents' earnings.
Superintendent Ann Harvey called the levy "huge" for the district since the money is used across the board in every single category of school operation.
- Daily Standard reporters Shelley Grieshop, Janie Southard and Margie Wuebker contributed to this story.
Additional online stories on this date
A half million dollar project to upgrade a portion of Carthagena Road this summer was temporarily foiled after the Mercer County Engineer's office discovered a costly obstacle: electric poles. [More]
Eight people - seven of them youths ages 16 and under - were injured in a three-vehicle crash Tuesday night at the intersection of state Route 716 and Overman Road, south of Maria Stein. [More]
ST. HENRY - The Midwest Athletic Conference baseball race got a lot tighter thanks to an impressive performance by John Dorner's St. Henry Redskins on Tuesday. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
The city of Celina may be in serious financial trouble as council this week learned about staggering utility deficits and a possible citation from the Ohio auditor's office.
Rockford village is officially in line for federal stimulus money, which will save the village more than $2.2 million for its new water treatment plant. All that remains to get the money is the paperwork.
Election results
Incumbent Celina city councilman Myron Buxton easily defeated challenger Matthew Jeffries at Tuesday's Republican primary election by taking over 70 percent of the vote.
MINSTER - There will be football practice in the park - Seventh Street park that is - with village councilors entering into a renewable five-year agreement with the Minster Local Schools board of education Tuesday night.
FORT RECOVERY - The village will pay $43,968 to replace its obsolete computer software.
Village councilors on Monday approved the expenditure to get software from CMI for finance, budget, utilities, taxes and payroll, Village Administrator Randy Diller said.
FORT RECOVERY - The decision to make homeowners pay for sidewalks and curbs that are torn up during an upcoming sewer separation and street reconstruction project was not made by Village Administrator Randy Diller.
FORT RECOVERY - The Center for Neurological Development celebrated special memories and honored clients as well as supporters during a 25th anniversary celebration Monday night at the Fort Recovery American Legion Hall.
Celina hair salon opens consignment business
A downtown Celina beauty salon has added a consignment shop with clothing and accessories.
Atelier Salon, 224 S. Main St., now sells women's and me
ST. MARYS - Otterbein St. Marys Retirement Community's proposed expansion would put some residents in the water. The new Life Enrichment Center will include a four-lane pool for swimming, water exercise, warm-water therapy and recreation.
Those Girls have left the willow grove.
The home decor shop known as Those Girls at Willow Grove has moved from state Route 703, Montezuma, to a wh
MARIA STEIN - Marion Local got three runs in the third and fifth innings and Monte Imwalle fired six innings of two-hit baseball to lead the Flyers to a 6-3 win over Fort Recovery in Midwest Athletic Conference action at the Flyer Athletic Complex on Tuesday.
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
The Celina track teams completed unbeaten dual meet seasons on Tuesday in beating Ottawa-Glandorf and Wapakoneta at Varsity Track.
The Celina Bulldogs took advantage of limited offensive opportunities on Tuesday afternoon to defeat the Bath Wildcats 10-6 in Western Buckeye League play at Montgomery Field at Eastview Park.