Permanent levy request defeated

Residents of Pataskala rejected the city’s first attempt to establish a dedicated funding source to maintain and expand its park system.

The permanent levy failed 62 percent to 38 percent, according to final, unofficial results posted by the Licking County elections board Tuesday.

City officials will meet soon to decide their next step, given the results, said City Administrator BJ King.

“There is a need for parks funding in the community,” he said Tuesday. “We’re going to have to have some tough decisions about how we’re going to move forward with it.”

The city had hoped for approval of a 0.75-mill permanent levy to generate more than $250,000 annually for parks and recreation. The issue would have cost property owners about $26 per $100,000 of valuation.

Officials had developed a five-year plan outlining how the proceeds would be spent, including new trails at Liberty and Freedom parks and a basketball court and disc golf course at Citizens Park, among numerous other projects.

The plan would have cost about $250,000 annually, and there is no other source of funding for those projects, King said. All of the levyrelated funds would have been earmarked for capital improvements and maintenance, not employee salaries.

King said he would be surprised if the city goes back to the ballot for a similar parks issue.