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MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—Two tax issues put forth by the River Valley Local School District have slim leads following the unofficial results of the 2023 general election on Nov. 7.
River Valley Local Schools residents in Marion and Morrow counties were asked to decide on the renewal of a 1% income tax and a combined $10 million bond issue/permanent improvement tax levy in Tuesday’s election.
Per the unofficial results released by the Marion and Morrow county boards of elections, the income tax is passing by a count of 2,406 votes in favor and 2,305 votes against it. The bond issue/permanent improvement tax is passing by a count of 2,392 to 2,310.
Superintendent Adam Wickham said he and district officials are grateful for the support of district voters in this election. The two tax issues placed on the May 2 primary election ballot failed to win support from voters.
“First, we are extremely grateful for our community passing the income tax renewal and the Bond and permanent improvement (PI) issue,” Wickham said. “As a result of our community passing these issues, it allows the district to have designated funds for daily operational expenses and permanent improvement items.”
The unofficial vote tally by county for the income tax is as follows: Marion County, 2,303 for and 2,222 against; Morrow County, 103 for and 83 against. The unofficial vote count for the bond issue/permanent improvement tax levy is as follows: Marion County, 2,297 for and 2,217 against; Morrow County, 95 for and 93 against.
However, there are still numerous outstanding provisional and absentee ballots that need to be processed before the final official results are certified. In Marion County, there are 383 outstanding provisional ballots and 66 outstanding absentee ballots. In Morrow County, there are 132 outstanding provisional ballots and 59 outstanding absentee ballots.
Local boards of elections have until Nov. 28 to complete the canvass of general election ballots and certify election results.
Wickham said successful passage of the income tax and bond issue/permanent improvement tax levy will allow River Valley Local Schools “to keep our great programs and staffing in place. Then the bond and permanent improvement (PI) fund can be used for designated purposes, instead of these costs coming out of the general fund.”
“The bond allows us to address immediate needs like roofs and HVAC,” Wickham explained. “The PI fund is critical for items like buses, desks, chairs, ongoing building expenses, and other capital improvements especially as our facilities are now over 20 years old. During the campaign, the district provided a wide range of transparent and factual information.”
Wickham noted that the district and levy committee (RV for Kids) attempted to provide as much information as possible to the general public in the months prior to the election.
“This was done through direct mailings, social media posts, and one key piece was the tax tool which showed property owners their current and estimated tax information for their specific property,” Wickham said. “The Marion County Auditor’s Office was instrumental in developing the tax tool which showed this critical information.”