Election 2023: Huber Heights police/fire levy fails

James Campbell, was one of the first voters to show up at the Huber Heights Church of God Tuesday, May 2, 2023. MARSHALL GORBY \STAFF

James Campbell, was one of the first voters to show up at the Huber Heights Church of God Tuesday, May 2, 2023. MARSHALL GORBY \STAFF

Voters in Huber Heights rejected a 10-year, 0.25% earned income tax — a tax levy that has funded fire, police, and emergency medical services since its initial approval in 2014, according to unofficial final results.

They nixed the measure by a 49.6% to 50.4% ratio, according to the combined total of votes from Montgomery and Miami counties.

Huber Heights interim City Manager Bryan Chodowski said rejection of the levy ”gives us an opportunity to go before the voters in November with that specific plan available to them so that they understand this time, with specificity, the outcome of a negative vote on this measure in the future.”

» View all results here

More results from Tuesday

Largest levies rejected

The four very large school levies were all soundly rejected. The Huber Heights, Northmont and Mad River school districts each asked residents to pay more than $200 annually in new taxes per $100,000 of property value. Vandalia-Butler sought a full 1% earned income tax ($500 annually on $50,000 of qualifying income). Voters said no.

Xenia Twp. levies split

Two more mid-level tax requests from Xenia Twp. split, with voters approving the fire levy, but rejecting the roads levy ... by such a small margin that a recount is likely.

Smaller levies pass

Of the five tax levies seeking small increases (less than a $75 annual increase for a $100,000 home), four of them passed — for police in Beavercreek, Sugarcreek Twp. and Miami Twp., plus parks in Washington Twp. Only Brown Twp. in Miami County said no.

Renewal and substitute levies pass

Of the 12 renewal and substitute levies that extend taxes into the future without raising the rate, 11 of them passed, for a wide variety of causes — Greene and Warren County schools, fire departments, parks, roads and more.

There’s always an outlier, and city of Huber Heights voters rejected a 0.25% income tax renewal to fund police, fire and EMS services. Huber Heights was one of only a handful of communities to have multiple tax levy requests on the ballot at the same time.