CINCINNATI — Voters in the Greater Cincinnati region had several levies to consider on the ballot this election, from street maintenance, schools, mental health services and more.
I looked through election results of levies on ballots in Hamilton, Clermont, Butler, Warren, Brown, Adams and Highland counties.
Overall, voters in counties I looked at approved the majority of levies on their ballots that were renewals — meaning property taxes would not increase if those levies passed, because homeowners were already paying for them.
However, many levies requesting increases, or additional levies that would have increased property taxes, did not fare as well across the region.
In all, school levies had the most rejections by voters county-by-county. In contrast, voters far often voted in favor of paying tax increases on services like police, fire and EMS.
Here's how each county voted on levies this election:
Hamilton County:
In Hamilton County, voters approved every levy renewal on the ballot, though some were by slim margins.
Those renewed levies are:
- City of Cheviot: 50.35% pass, a difference of just 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% pass
- Village of Woodlawn: 71% pass
- Township of Miami: 61.24%
- Columbia Township Waste Disposal District: 79.16% pass
- Hamilton County Family Services: 63.23% pass
- Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities: 66.31% pass
However, voters were more reluctant to approve levies that would increase property taxes in Hamilton County.
These are the new levies on the ballots that voters rejected:
- Village of North Bend: 54.12% rejected
- Township 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
These are the new levies on the ballots that voters approved:
- Village of Greenhills: 68.44% voted in favor
- Township of Anderson: 50.67% voted in favor, a 363 vote difference
- Township of Springfield: 55.98% voted in favor
- Township 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 renewal of a township levy — but rejected the renewal of a second levy that would have increased the levy that was previously in place. The renewal and increase levy failed with 53% of voters rejecting it.
Some — but not many — Hamilton County residents cast votes on an income tax levy for Milford Exempted Village School District; the majority of votes for that levy were cast in Clermont County, but a small sliver of Milford stretches into Hamilton County. The levy failed in both counties.
Princeton City School District's levy was voted on in three different counties, because the district spans them all: Hamilton, Clermont and Warren. It failed in all three.
The only school district levy to pass in Hamilton County this election was Mariemont.
Clermont County:
Clermont County only had one renewal levy facing voters this election — a tax levy for the City of Milford. It was approved, with 62.33% of voters deciding to renew it.
Goshen Township voters approved the replacement of an existing levy with one that decreases the cost to homeowners. That tax levy was approved by 58.26% of the voters.
Other than those 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 predominantly saw new levies on their ballots. The only renewal was a levy for Lane Public Library, which passed with 56.62% of the vote.
Despite the fact that officials scrambled at the end of 2023 to approve measures to soften the blow of a 37% median property tax hike, Butler County voters approved the vast majority of levies on their ballots — most of which will add to their property taxes.
Only three out of 11 levies on the Butler County ballot didn't pass:
- New Miami Village streets levy: Rejected by just one vote
- Princeton City School levy: 56.6% rejected
- Additional levy for Midpointe Public Library: 56.33% rejected
However, Butler County voters showed their support for police, fire and EMS — several levies for local services 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 Miami fire levy: 57.12% voted in favor
- Lemon Township fire levy: 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 services, 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 to succeed was for Clinton-Warren fire services, with 72% of voters' support.
These are the levies that failed in Warren County:
- Middletown Public Library: 64.16% rejected
- Harveysburg operating levy: 64.39% rejected
- Harveysburg police levy: 61.97% rejected
- Wayne Township fire levy: 56.66% rejected
- Clinton Massie Local School District: 56.37% rejected
- Princeton City School levy: 56.76% rejected
Brown County:
Brown County voters approved all seven levy renewals on their ballots:
- Tax levy for Fayetteville: 61.29% approved
- A second levy for Fayetteville: 62.84% approved
- Byrd Township cemeteries: 61.19% approved
- Huntington Township cemeteries: 51.33% approved
- Perry Township EMS: 65.37% approved
- Perry Township Fire/EMS: 65.54% approved
- Brown County extension levy: 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 struck down a levy for Ripley police, with 63.81% rejecting it.
Voters also approved replacement levies for both Pike Township fire and EMS 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 County:
Adams County voters had 10 separate levies to decide on — the third most of any county in the region, behind Hamilton and Butler.
None of the levies were listed on the county Board of Elections site as renewals, 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 services levies while rejecting levies for some municipalities and for Adams County Children Services.
These levies were approved by Adams County voters:
- Village of Peebles current expenses 1: 57.83% approved
- Village of Peebles current expenses 2: 55.82% approved
- Peebles fire levy: 66.26% approved
- Wayne Township fire levy: 63.12% approved
- Adams County 911: 50.28% approved
These levies were rejected by Adams County voters:
- Village of Winchester current expenses 1: 53.68% rejected
- Village of Winchester current expenses 2: 54.94% rejected
- Bratton Township current expenses: 51.22% rejected, a difference of 17 votes
- Oliver Township road repairs: 56% rejected
- Adams County Children Services: 53.78% rejected
Highland County:
Highland County's voters had five levies on the ballot, but only approved two. There were no levies listed as renewals on the Highland County ballot.
Voters agreed to raise property taxes by approving levies that support Marshal Township fire services, which garnered 65.91% of the vote, and Clay Township cemeteries, which 55.97% of voters approved.
These levies were rejected by Highland County voters:
- Mowrystown current expenses levy: 58% rejected
- Highland County Children Services levy: 51.44% rejected
- Highland County Health Department levy: 57.19% rejected
