You Decide: Breaking down the levies you’ll see on the ballot
Here are the three that community leaders — and you — should be paying close attention to.
TOLEDO, Ohio — So you’ve likely had the opportunity to hear from your candidates, or even meet them. But there are plenty of issues on the ballot that you also have to look out for.
And Monday evening at the UAW Local 12 Union Hall on Ashland Avenue in Toledo, autoworkers from our community got to hear from their candidates and about the issues. So let’s start with one of the biggest issues on the ballot: Issue 11, the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library’s 3.7 mill renewal — which is not a new tax.
“It represents more than half of the library’s operating budget, so every five years, we come back to the community, show our work, we ask for continued support. So people know that more than half of what they see, use, and participate in the library is made possible by Lucas County taxpayers,” explained Jason Kucsma, executive director and fiscal officer for the Toledo Lucas County Public Library.
And the library’s impact extends beyond their digital and traditional media options.
“We work with a lot of community partners, like Mercy Community Nurses are doing health screenings at the library. We have TutorSmart in our locations throughout the county, providing tutoring for kids after school. It’s an infrastructure, it’s a platform that we invite all of our community partners to use to engage communities,” Kucsma said.
He adds that the library has a goal of getting 95% of residents connected with a library card, saying that number currently sits at about 70%. He notes that the county library system receives millions of visitors each year.
Now to the Imagination Station’s Issue 10.
“It’s a Lucas County county-wide levy. And ours is a straight renewal. It won’t cost anybody any new funds. And all of the benefits and everything stay all in place for Lucas County residents. It costs about $5.21 a year for the average $100,000 home and it’s a five-year operating levy. And some of the benefits are it’s free admission on Saturdays for kids from Lucas County, but then there’s discounts, discounts on films, and different experiences that all come into the science center,” explained Lori Hauser, CEO of Imagination Station.
Hauser adds that even if you don’t have a child or experience what the science center has to offer on a consistent basis, there’s something for everybody. From offering educator training to movie nights for adults to even in-school, educational programming, the science center’s impact in our area can be felt in more ways than one.
Finally, let’s break down Metroparks Toledo’s 0.9 mill, 10-year renewal levy. The levy costs the owner of a $100,000 home $2.08 per month. According to Joan Kose, a volunteer with the Citizens Campaign for Metroparks, this is not a new or increased tax. Kose is passionate about getting out and exploring the benefits of our 19 metroparks across the county.
“Obviously, it helps your mental being and hopefully your physical being. And the metroparks, also, they made really good use of the tax dollars that they receive. They’ve created quite a bit of jobs. It’s estimated they bring in about $60 million a year just in visitor income alone,” Kose recalled.
Early voting has already begun here in the state of Ohio. You can cast your ballot at the Lucas County Shared Services Building at 3737 West Sylvania Avenue. And for additional information, visit lucascountyohiovotes.gov.
And all of the representatives had a simple message: regardless of who you’re voting for, just remember to do so in the first place.
