Make-up vote opens door for construction

Voters in four counties that were excluded from voting in a 2015 bond levy got their chance, correcting an election debacle that stalled construction of a consolidated Delaware Area Career Center.

The few hundred results from Tuesday's election, about 60 percent against the levy, can't and won't change the overwhelming support Delaware County voters gave the issue two years ago. But the housekeeping measure permits construction of the building along Route 23 to proceed as early as Jan. 1.

The 10-year, 1.7-mill levy was to begin collecting $4.4 million annually at the beginning of this year when the error was discovered. The issue passed by more than 10,000 votes, but it was invalidated once the exclusion of the crossover votes was discovered.

Superintendent Mary Beth Freeman said she was reluctant to place blame but relieved that the problems are behind her.

"Everybody makes mistakes. In this case, it was a very costly mistake," she said. "I don't focus on blame, which doesn't solve anything."

The solution came from Ohio Reps. Andrew Brenner and Rick Carfagna, who crafted a law this year that permitted about 1,000 residents in the small portions of the school district in Franklin, Marion, Morrow and Union counties to vote, thereby completing the results from two years ago. Even if all had voted against the issue, it would have had no effect, other than to formalize and make legal the 2015 contest.

The paperwork error at the Delaware County Board of Elections forced the center to stop work on the $45 million project early this year. Some 1,400 students are served by the center, which operates on two campuses. They are expected to merge by mid2019, Freeman said.

Carla Herron, elections board director, said a new statewide requirement to have crossover counties included in paperwork should prevent similar problems.