Almost all Delaware County voters will have four ballot questions to consider for funding services around the county, including the local transit authority, a career center, mental health and developmental disabilities and addiction recovery.
All but one are property tax levies.
Here’s what to know about what county-related issues that are on Nov. 3 general election ballots.
Delaware Area Career Center
This proposed tax levy is a renewal and decrease of an existing levy that the Delaware Area Career Center has had since voters first approved it in 2001.
This is actually a decrease of the existing levy, from 1.7 mills to 0.75 mills. That’s because of how the career center is doing now and its long-term financial planning, according to the district website.
If approved, the renewal
will cost property owners $18 for each $100,000 for the county auditor’s market value. The term of this levy would last for 10 years.
The levy would support both daily operations and long-term goals, according to the center, which serves Delaware County as well as all or parts of Franklin County and other nearby counties.
Delaware County Transit
Delaware County Transit is asking for a 0.2% sales and use tax on eligible purchases and services, respectively, to fund the local agency – that would mean 20 cents on a $100 purchase, or $1 for a $500 purchase. This would be the first dedicated local funding source for the agency, which has relied on fares, federal and state grants, and local partnerships for funding.
Voters throughout the county will vote on this proposed tax, except for the people living in parts of Columbus, Westerville and Dublin in Delaware County who already pay a 1% sales tax to fund the Central Ohio Transit Authority.
This would be the second-lowest transit sales tax in the state, according to an authority web page. The tax does not apply to goods that are already not taxed, such as groceries and prescription drugs.
If this doesn’t pass, the agency wouldn’t be able to embark on a planned service expansion and would likely have to lay off staff next year.
Delaware Board of Developmental Disabilities
Voters are also considering a levy of 1.8 mills for the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities. The board previously had a levy of 2 mills that expired at the end of 2025.
If approved, the new levy would cost property owners $63 for each $100,000 of the county auditor's market value. The five-year levy would bring in an estimated $25 million annually.
The levy funding helps support more than 2,400 people identified with disabilities and their families in Delaware County. Over two-thirds of the people served by the board are of school age or younger.
Without the levy funding, the board would have to eliminate several programs, including the early intervention program and family support services, according to the board’s website. Staff layoffs would also likely be necessary.
Delaware-Morrow Mental Health & Recovery Services Board
This levy would renew an existing levy of 1.5 mills and increase it by 0.5-mill for a total of 2 mills. If approved by voters, the levy would cost property owners $50 for each $100,000 of the county auditor's market value for the next five years.
The levy supports mental health and addiction recovery services for more than 25,000 people across Delaware and Morrow counties.
“This levy is the foundation of our local behavioral health safety net – funding crisis response, prevention programs, treatment and recovery supports, and partnerships with local provider agencies,” the board’s website states.
Without the levy funding, the services from this organization would “face drastic reductions or elimination – leaving residents in crisis with nowhere else to turn,” according to the website.
Anna Lynn Winfrey is a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch. She can be reached at awinfrey@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Four ballot measures await Delaware County voters
