WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ohio (WTAP) - Washington County voters considered two levies to support local public institutions on Tuesday, approving one and rejecting the other.
Voters rejected a 0.5 mill levy to support the Washington County Public Library.
Speaking before the election, library director Justin Mayo said the levy would have helped the library maintain its existing locations and services, including circulating books and electronic resources and running programs for children and adults.
Mayo said they were requesting the levy because the library’s state funding has decreased by 5%.
He said the levy failing would force the library to make difficult decisions about maintaining its facilities going forward. “The board would have to make some tough decisions about where you close and what we do,” Mayo said. “When I started as director, we had 67 employees. We now have 44 employees. I can’t cut staff to save money anymore. It would have to be the cost of maintaining the buildings.”
The library previously put a levy before voters in November 2025. While that levy received enough votes to pass, a technical issue with the ballot language resulted in its being voided by the state.
Voters approved a 0.95 mill levy to support the Washington County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
That levy will cost property owners about $33 for each $100,000 of assessed property value and will collect $2,167,671 annually over five years, with collection beginning in 2027.