Voters approve increases for fire, police, but not schools

CINCINNATI – Voters in the Greater Cincinnati area had to consider a variety of fees when voting in this election, from street maintenance, schools, mental health care and more.

I reviewed the election results of ballot levies in Hamilton, Clermont, Butler, Warren, Brown, Adams and Highland counties.

Overall, voters in the counties I looked at approved the majority of levies on their ballots that were extensions — meaning property taxes would not increase if those levies were passed, because homeowners were already paying for them.

However, many levies that called for increases, or additional levies that would have increased property taxes, did not fare well across the region.

In total, school levies received the most rejections from voters per province. In contrast, voters often voted in favor of paying tax increases for services such as police, fire and ambulance services.

Here’s how each province voted on levies this election:

Hamilton County:

In Hamilton County, voters approved every levy renewal on the ballot, though some were by narrow margins.

These new levies are:

City of Cheviot: 50.35% passed, a difference of only 25 votes
Village of Addyston: 57.51% pass
Village of Glendale: 70.31% pass
Village of Golf Manor: 53.02% pass
Village of Greenhills: 66.18% pass
Village of North Bend: 62.07% passing
Village of Woodlawn: 71% pass
City of Miami: 61.24%
Columbia Township Waste Disposal District: 79.16% passing
Hamilton County Family Services: 63.23% pass
Developmental Disabilities in Hamilton County: 66.31% pass

However, voters were more reluctant to approve levies that would increase property taxes in Hamilton County.
Here are the new fees on the ballots that voters rejected:

Village of North Bend: 54.12% rejected
City of Whitewater: 62.98% rejected
Mt. Healthy City School District: 55.58% rejected
Princeton City School District: 51.24% rejected
Anderson Township Park District: 51.50% rejected

Here are the new taxes on the ballots that voters approved:

Village of Greenhills: 68.44% voted in favor
Anderson Township: 50.67% voted in favor, a difference of 363 votes
Municipality of Springfield: 55.98% voted in favor
Municipality of Symmes: 54.45% voted in favor
Mariemont City School District: 62.37% voted in favor

There are also some outliers to consider.
In Miami Township, voters approved the extension of a township levy but rejected the extension of a second levy that would have increased the previously applicable levy. The renewal and increase levy failed; 53% of voters rejected it.

Some – but not many – Hamilton County residents are casting their votes on an income tax levy for the Milford Exempted Village School District; the majority of votes for that levy were cast in Clermont County, but a small portion of Milford extends into Hamilton County. The levy failed in both provinces.

The Princeton City School District levy was voted on in three different counties because the district includes them all: Hamilton, Clermont and Warren. It failed in all three.

The only school district levy passed in Hamilton County this election was Mariemont.

Clermont County:

Clermont County had only one renewal levy facing voters this election: a tax levy on the city of Milford. It was approved and 62.33% of voters decided to extend it.

Goshen Township voters approved replacing an existing levy with one that reduces costs for homeowners. That tax levy was approved by 58.26% of voters.

Aside from these two levies, Clermont County voters rejected every other levy on the ballot:

Additional tax levy for Miami Township: 56.62% rejected
Replacement levy for Tate Township: 61.16% rejected
Additional tax levy for Washington Township: 55.86% rejected
Income tax for Milford Exempted Village School District: 58.08% rejected

Butler County:

Butler County voters mostly saw new fees on their ballots. The only extension was a levy for the Lane Public Library, which passed with 56.62% of the vote.

Despite officials rushing to pass measures in late 2023 to soften the blow of an average 37% increase in property taxes, Butler County voters approved the vast majority of levies on their ballots — most of which will contribute to their property taxes.

Only three of the eleven levies on the Butler County ballot failed to pass:

New Miami Village Street Tax: Rejected by just one vote
Princeton City School levy: 56.6% rejected
Additional levy for Midpointe Public Library: 56.33% rejected

However, voters in Butler County showed their support for police, fire and ambulance services – several local service charges were approved by voters.
Voters approved these levies:

City of Oxford fire levy: 72.91% voted in favor
College Corner police levy: 61.9% voted in favor
New fire tax in Miami: 57.12% voted in favor
Lemon Township Fire Tax: 60.40% voted in favor
Ross Township fire levy: 62.83% voted in favor

The final levy on the Butler County ballot, an additional levy for mental health care, also passed with 55.32% of the vote.
Warren County:

Unlike their neighbors to the west, Warren County voters rejected every levy but one.

The only levy that passed was for the Clinton-Warren Fire Department, with 72% of voters.

Here are the levies that failed in Warren County:

Middletown Public Library: 64.16% rejected
Harveysburg business tax: 64.39% rejected
Harveysburg Police Tax: 61.97% rejected
Wayne Township fire tax: 56.66% rejected
Clinton Massie Local School District: 56.37% rejected
Princeton City School levy: 56.76% rejected

Brown province:

Brown County voters approved all seven levy extensions on their ballots:

Tax levy for Fayetteville: 61.29% approved
A second levy for Fayetteville: 62.84% approved
Cemeteries in Byrd Township: 61.19% approved
Cemeteries in Huntington Township: 51.33% approved
Perry Township EMS: 65.37% approved
Perry Township Fire/EMS: 65.54% approved
Brown County Extension Tax: 55.19%

The new levies, which would add additional taxes for homeowners, were more of a mixed bag for Brown County voters.
Voters handily approved an additional levy for Byrd Township EMS, with 62.07% voting in favor, but just as handily eliminated a levy for the Ripley Police Department, with 63.81% disapproving.

Voters also approved replacement fees for both Pike Township Fire and Ambulance Services and Perry Township Fire and EMS Services. Pike Township’s levy passed with 50.71% of the vote, while Perry Township passed with 60% of the vote.

Adams province:

Adams County voters had to decide on 10 separate levies – the third of all counties in the region, behind Hamilton and Butler.

None of the levies were listed as renewals on the County Board of Elections website, but Adams County followed closer in Butler County’s footsteps than Hamilton County’s in what voters approved and what they rejected.

There were no school levies, but Adams County voters approved fire and 911 service levies while rejecting levies for some municipalities and for Adams County Children Services.

These levies were approved by Adams County voters:

Running costs village of Peebles 1: 57.83% approved
Running costs village of Peebles 2: 55.82% approved
Peebles fire levy: 66.26% approved
Wayne Township Fire Tax: 63.12% approved
Adams County 911: 50.28% approved

These levies were rejected by the voters of Adams County:

Village of Winchester running costs 1: 53.68% rejected
Running costs Village of Winchester 2: 54.94% rejected
Bratton Township running costs: 51.22% rejected, a difference of 17 votes
Road repairs in Oliver Township: 56% rejected
Adams County Children Services: 53.78% rejected

Highland province:

Highland County voters had five levies on the ballot, but only approved two. There were no levies listed as renewals on the ballot in Highland County.

Voters agreed to increase property taxes by approving levies to support the Marshal Township Fire Department, which received 65.91% of the vote, and the Clay Township cemeteries, which received 55.97% of voters approved.

These levies were rejected by the voters of Highland County:

Mowrystown running costs levy: 58% rejected
Highland County Children Services levy: 51.44% rejected
Highland County Health Department levy: 57.19% rejected