Tax issues, council races on ballots

It’s primary-election day. Central Ohio voters will decide issues and primaries in several communities, including a countywide tax increase for services for senior citizens in Franklin County.

Columbus, Reynoldsburg, Whitehall and Hilliard have city council primaries that will narrow the number of candidates before the November election.

Reynoldsburg is asking voters to approve an income-tax increase to pay for a Community Center YMCA. Franklin Township wants voters to approve a tax to add a third shift to its police force.

Voters in Fairfield and Licking counties will decide tax issues in eight school districts, including Pickerington, Southwest Licking and Heath. Licking County voters also will decide funding for 911 services, and voters in Heath and Lancaster also will vote on income-tax issues.

Franklin County Board of Elections officials expect turnout to “be very light,” spokesman Aaron Sellers said Monday.

As of Monday morning, the elections board had recorded more than 8,000 early votes by mail or in person; that’s about 1 percent of the nearly 800,000 eligible voters at the close of registration to vote in Tuesday’s primary.

One issue expected to draw interest is the Senior Options levy proposed by the Franklin County Office

on Aging. It’s been passed every five years since 1992 and has no known organized opposition this year.

With the population aging —18 percent, or almost 1 in 5, of Franklin County residents will be 60 or older by 2020 — the levy provides home-delivered meals, light housekeeping, light home repair, medical care, rides to the doctor and other services that are intended to help seniors stay in their homes as long as possible. The levy provides $34.4 million of the Franklin County Office on Aging’s $38.5 million annual budget.

About 6,000 seniors receive monthly services paid for by the levy. More than half are 75 or older.

The senior-services levy would increase by about 40 percent if the issue passes. The owner of a $100,000 house pays $40 per year for the senior options levy. If adopted, the new levy will cost about $55 annually per $100,000 of home value.