Tax issues, elections fill ballots for communities in W. Lucas Co.

School and park levies, municipal posts to be decided

10/19/2011

An assortment of issues will appear on the ballot Nov. 8 in parts of western Lucas County, including school levies in the Washington Local and Ottawa Hills districts, a park levy in Sylvania and Sylvania Township, a library levy in Swanton, and a charter amendment in Sylvania.

The Washington Local request is for a continuing 4.9 mills that would generate $4.5 million for operations and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $150 per year.

In Ottawa Hills, school officials are requesting adoption of a 2-mill continuing levy that would replace a 1.5 mill tax expiring at the end of the year.

It would produce $327,183 annually for repairs and improvements.

The 0.5-mill renewal of a park levy in the Sylvania community's Olander Park System would support operations for five years. In Swanton, the requested 1-mill additional five-year library levy also is for operations. In Sylvania, voters will decide on a charter amendment that would delete a requirement that the treasurer be a resident of the city.

In races, Ottawa Hills Mayor Kevin Gilmore is unopposed and four candidates vie for two seats on Village Council: incumbent James Walter along with Corey Hupp, Todd Kime, and James Walter. Ottawa Hills Board of Education member John Lewis is not running for re-election and is instead running unopposed for the village's clerk/treasurer office. Incumbent Brad Johnson along with Kim Bigioni and Peggy Herman are running for two Ottawa Hills school board seats.

In Sylvania, council members Doug Haynam, Sandy Husman, Mark Luetke, and Todd Milner are unopposed, and in Sylvania Township incumbent trustee Neal Mahoney is challenged by Penny Levine, John Marshall, and Curt Snapp. Sylvania Township Fiscal Officer David Simko is unopposed as is Sylvania Municipal Court Judge Scott Ramey.

In the Sylvania schools, board members Vicki Donovan Lyle and James Nusbaum face write-in candidate Amanda Eff in their runs for re-election.

In the Swanton Local Schools, no incumbent school board members are running for re-election. Shannon Crow, Michael McClure, and David Smith vie for two seats.

In Washington Township, incumbent Karen Marchant and challengers Jonathan Anderson, John C. Henry, and George Plasencio are contending for one trustee seat. Fiscal Officer Becky Bodette is unopposed. In the Washington Local school district, incumbents David Hunter and Thomas Ilstrip have no challengers.