A few income tax increases and levies for operating expenses went before Miami Valley voters in yesterday’s primary election, and preliminary results show voters largely said yes to raising municipal taxes.
The city of Moraine wants to raise its income tax by a half a percent to make up for a big decline in revenues; the city lost thousands of jobs in the last decade. The first count shows that income tax winning, but with a margin of just 41 votes, so the final result could still tilt the other way.
In Dayton, a .5 percent additional income tax (on top of a 1.75 percent permanent tax) has passed five times and been in place at the same level for 30 years; it won again with nearly 70 percent support. The difference this time is the 2.25 percent tax rate is now permanent, so it won’t come back to voters every few years for approval.
A few other areas were looking for a little extra cash, and got it: Harrison Township asked voters for a 4.0-mill additional property tax for operating expenses, which won with 54 percent of the vote. In Greene County, a 2.0-mill, five-year levy for road and bridge work passed in Beavercreek. A 1.0-mill renewal and .4-mill increase for services for the elderly in Greene County passed by a wide margin.
New and additional levies have been particularly difficult to pass in the area since the Recession, as many individual property owners, school districts and municipalities have been increasingly strapped for cash.
Preliminary results for local tax levies (new or additional):*
Greene County:
City of Beavercreek, 2.0-mill, 5-year additional levy for road and bridge work PASSED
FOR THE TAX LEVY 4242 52.36%
AGAINST THE TAX LEVY 3859 47.64%
Greene County Council on Aging, levy renewal of 1 mill and an increase of 0.4 mills PASSED
FOR THE TAX LEVY 12843 63.00%
AGAINST THE TAX LEVY 7542 37.00%
Montgomery County:
Dayton, .5 percent additional income tax, making the total permanent income tax 2.25 percent PASSED
YES 6496 69.17%
NO 2895 30.83%
City of Moraine, .5 percent, five-year additional income tax PASSED by a slim margin
YES 277 54.00%
NO 236 46.00%
Harrison Township, 4.0-mill additional levy for operating expenses PASSED
FOR THE TAX LEVY 908 54.37%
AGAINST THE TAX LEVY 762 45.63%
*These results can change based on recounts and/or provisional ballots.
Lewis Wallace is WYSO's economics reporter. Follow him @lewispants.
