COLUMBUS – Voters head to the polls in Ohio Tuesday to narrow down the fields for Columbus City Council and decide the fate of a senior citizens’ levy officials say is essential to keep up with Franklin County‘s aging population.
Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
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There are 307 local races or issues on ballots in 74 of Ohio’s 88 counties, according to Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.
Columbus voters will narrow the field in three city council races.
Issue 1 on the ballot in Franklin Co. is the Senior Options levy, a renewal of an existing 1.3-mill levy plus a 0.45-mill increase. If passed, the measure would increase the cost to the owner of a $100,000 home to approximately $55 annually from about $40, according to a report in The Columbus Dispatch.
“If the levy fails, it would be senior services Armageddon in central Ohio,” says Chuck Gehring, CEO of Lifecare Alliance, the non-profit organization which operates Meals-On-Wheels and other senior programs in several counties.
“We would go from zero people on a waiting list for all our programs to probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,500 to 4,000 people off those services the next day,” Gehring added.
The “next day” would be Jan. 1 when Issue 1 would have taken effect.
HEAR: The entire interview with Chuck Gehring on “Perspective”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 18 percent of Franklin County residents will be 60 years old or older by 2020 and the county has the highest proportion of residents over 65 living at home where many of the services supported by the Senior Options levy would be used.
Gehring says his organization has seen a steady erosion of support from the government and charitable organizations like the United Way since 1992 and Meals-On-Wheels is one of the programs currently considered to be on the chopping block in Pres. Donald Trump‘s first federal budget proposal.
Voters in Reynoldsburg will decide on a 1 percent hike to the city income tax, taking it to 2.5 percent, for operations, maintenance and capital improvements, and Franklin Township is requesting a 4.1-mill levy for infrastructure and police.
An all-Democrat mayoral primary will cut to two the candidates to lead Ohio’s third-largest city.
No Republicans are running in Cincinnati’s nonpartisan election, with incumbent John Cranley seeking a second term against councilwoman Yvette Simpson and former University of Cincinnati board chairman Rob Richardson.
It’s been a heated race already, with the candidates debating issues such as the city’s streetcar system and gun violence problems. The two primary leaders will face off in the November general election.
Among other primaries Tuesday, Youngstown’s incumbent Democratic mayor faces a primary rematch after a narrow victory in 2013.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley is running unopposed, while Cleveland and Toledo have mayoral primaries in September.