Tax issues pass in Hancock County, Findlay, not Bowling Green

Jennifer Feehan

Nov. 4, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- The trio of tax requests before Findlay voters yesterday met with unprecedented success.

City voters approved a three-year, 0.25 percentage-point increase in Findlay's income tax, and voters in the Findlay City School District approved a $54.2 million bond issue to build two middle schools and a career and technology center.

By a considerably more generous margin than the city or school taxes, Hancock County voters agreed to keep a 0.5 percent sales tax on the rolls for 10 years. County commissioners enacted the sales tax increase last year, designating half of the approximately $5 million a year in proceeds for flood mitigation and the other half for county operations.

"This is absolutely awesome," an elated County Commissioner Ed Ingold said last night. "All three issues have passed, and that's a testament to this community that when they see the need, they will step up."

First-term Findlay Mayor Pete Sehnert said the yes vote means 18 firefighters won't be laid off, and a fire station on the city's east side won't be closed. "After a couple floods and a recession, it's good that something positive happened during my term," Mr. Sehnert said with a laugh.

At 1 percent, the city's income tax has been one of the lowest in the state and had not been raised since 1967.

"It's a big statement for our community," Mr. Sehnert said. "I can't believe getting taxes passed and levies passed during a recession. I think that really says a lot for the community."

Mr. Ingold said the three tax issues were endorsed by the business community, including heavy hitters like Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Co., Cooper Tire and Rubber Co. (NYSE:CTB) , and Whirlpool Corp. (NYSE:WHR) He said it meant a lot to voters that county employees were taking unpaid furlough days and that county commissioners agreed to a pay cut.

Bowling Green was among the other cities in the area seeking tax increases to help its bottom line, but it did not have the success of its neighbors to the south. Voters rejected a request to raise the city's income tax to 2 percent from 1.92 percent.

The increase would have produced about $600,000 a year for three years.

"We said all along that we're hopefully not going to have to cut any people at this juncture, but this will mean some services will have to be cut, and we'll continue to work with council on exactly what those will be," Mayor John Quinn said last night.

In Ottawa County, voters approved a five-year, 0.5-mill levy to operate and maintain the county-owned Riverview Nursing Home in Oak Harbor. The levy, which will generate $800,000 a year, will cost the owner of a $100,000 home $15.75 a year.

A previous 0.5-mill levy for the nursing home expired at the end of 2008 after county voters declined to replace and increase it last November.

In Port Clinton, voters approved by a 2-1 ratio a first-ever request by the Ida Rupp Public Library for operating dollars -- a request necessitated by a 40 percent cut in state funding for libraries. The five-year, 0.9-mill levy is expected to generate about $500,000 a year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $28.35 a year.

Barbara Wenzinger, president of the library's board of trustees, said passage of the levy means the library will be able to restore the services and hours it had cut.

Contact Jennifer Feehan

at jfeehan@theblade.com

or 419-724-6129.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0203-39425330