Vandalia-Butler schools last sought a tax increase for daily school operations in November 2013 when a 6.99-mill property tax levy narrowly passed.
Per the district’s five-year forecast, Vandalia anticipates running out of cash around January of 2025 due to deficit spending. At the end of last school year, they had about 23% of a year’s expenses in the bank, lower than the regional average of 35-40%.
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.