Walnut Township schools levy goes down again

MILLERSPORT – The Walnut Township school tax levy went down in defeat again Tuesday.

The unofficial results from the Fairfield County Board of Elections showed 484 people voting for the levy and 586 people voting against it.

"Obviously, we are very disappointed," Walnut schools superintendent Randy Cotner said. "This is the third time we've had it before voters, and it has been defeated each time. We are going to have it back on the ballot for a special election in August because the need is still there and we don't want to go into a fiscal emergency."

There was a line of a half-dozen people waiting to vote on the levy at 6 a.m. Tuesday before the polls opened.

In the first five or 10 minutes after the polling station's doors opened at the Millersport Lions Club, Fairfield County Board of Elections rover Joe Campbell estimated that 20 people had already come through to cast their votes.

Campbell expected a busy day in the town's only polling station Tuesday, especially considering the topic of possibly raising residents' taxes.

A mother and daughter drove together to the polls to vote Tuesday, but their opinions on the levy were at opposite ends of the spectrum.

The mother, Vicky Ludwig, who has lived in the school district for 31 years, said she voted against the levy, saying: "They don't explain to you what they're going to do with the money, and they've wasted a lot of money in the past."

Ludwig's daughter, Brandy Hitchcock, said she feels different because she has a kindergarten-age child now in the school system. She also thinks all other taxes will be higher if the school does close.

There were mixed reactions from voters about what would happen if the levy did not pass. Some thought the school would undoubtedly close and the just more than 600 students enrolled there would be split between other area schools. Others thought there was no way the state would let that happen.

The worst case would be a loss of extracurricular activities and more parents paying out of pocket for sports and other activities.

Regardless of their views on the issue, voters know that, if the levy doesn't pass this time, it will be on the ballot again for the special election Aug. 4.