BELLEVUE - The City of Bellevue will go back to the drawing board to determine how it can recoup lost monies after residents voted against an additional income tax levy.
According to unofficial results released by the Sandusky County Board of Elections, residents in Sandusky and Huron counties on Tuesday rejected Bellevue's proposed tax levy that would have generated $1.4 million over three years.
In Sandusky County 481 voters approved the levy while 480 voted against it.
The levy was lost though, when Huron County residents cast 267 votes against the levy to only 218 in favor.
In Erie County, only two voters were registered to vote on the Bellevue ballot issue, but neither cast a vote. There are no voters in the Seneca County portion of Bellevue who were eligible to vote on the city income tax levy.
"I put my heart and soul into this campaign, and I really thought it would pass," Mayor Kevin Strecker said. "It's a little disappointing, but I blame myself. I feel like I should have done more."
Strecker said maybe some voters didn't want to pay for another tax, or maybe they were not given enough information about what the levy money would cover.
"That's on me," Strecker said. "Maybe some voters thought it would go for wages and I just didn't spell everything out."
As part of recent cuts, the Bellevue Police Department eliminated its detective bureau, which was in charge of investigating serious felony crimes in the city.
Since the bureau's elimination at the end of June, Detectives Eric Burt and Marc Linder were assigned to road patrol duties, and now, according to Strecker, all road deputies are responsible for following up on cases that previously had been handled by detectives.
The money raised from the levy would be in addition to the 1.5 percent levy residents currently pay to help fund the city's departments.
With the levy's defeat Tuesday, Strecker said options will be discussed with city council at the Nov. 13 meeting, and more cuts are among the options moving forward.
"We just can't sustain like this," Strecker said of the tight general fund budget. "You can't operate a city like this."
Other options, Strecker said, include placing a levy on a special election ballot in February, or making additional cuts.
"I am going to present options to council and they will decide what we do moving forward," Strecker said. "We just have to keep moving forward."
Since 2012, Strecker said the state has cut about $225,000 annually from the city's local budget to balance the state budget, something that has been a hardship for the city.
The additional tax money not only would not have been used to restore the detective bureau, Strecker said, but also go toward programs in the city's general fund including street and road projects.
cshoup@gannett.com
419-334-1035
Twitter: @CraigShoupNH
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Bellevue going back to drawing board after levy defeat"
Post a Comment