Sinclair’s overwhelming voter approval ‘a great birthday present’

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The 3.2-mill Montgomery County levy generates around $28 million annually for the college. It costs the owner of a $100,000 home around $98 per year.

“We are so thankful that our compact with Montgomery County remains strong,” president Steve Johnson said Tuesday night. “We will continue to deliver on our promises to be community aligned, accessible and affordable.”

The community college turns 130 years old this year and Johnson joked that the levy’s passage was “a great birthday present for Sinclair.”

Sinclair’s 10-year levy allows the school to invest in daily operations of the downtown Dayton campus as well as provide discounted tuition for Montgomery County residents.

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The discount means Montgomery County students pay just over $99 per credit hour while students from other counties pay around $146 per credit hour.

With the passage of the levy, Johnson said the college will continue to focus on making its educational offerings affordable and accessible.

The levy, which is one of two Sinclair has in Montgomery county, faced little opposition and Johnson said he believed the results proved that. Sinclair’s second levy, an eight year $8.5-million one, was passed in 2015 with 54 percent of the vote.

David Esrati had launched an opposition campaign called “Keep Sinclair Fair” but it appears to have never picked up steam.

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Esrati called for Montgomery County residents to vote against the levy while advocating for other counties Sinclair serves to pay a tax levy.

Sinclair has the authority to put a tax levy on the ballot in Warren County but Johnson has said such a measure is unnecessary at this point. for The money generated by the Montgomery County levy can only be used within the county, according to state law, meaning no levy revenue can be used at Sinclair’s locations in other counties.