Athens passes income tax increase, among others
This election, 26 local issues appeared on the ballots in Athens County. All but two of them passed.Of these 26 issues, six dealt with fire departments, five with authorizing alcohol sales, four with road maintenance, four with general levies and tax increases to pay for city and village expenses, three with school district funding, two with cemetery maintenance, one with senior services and one with a levy for the health department.
The only two issues that didn’t pass were Issue 23, which would have raised income taxes for Alexander Local Schools, and Issue 24, which involved a bond issue and levy for Warren Local School District. A 0.2 percent yearly income tax increase for the city of Athens passed with 67.39 percent voting in favor. City Council voted on May 31 to put the proposed increase on the ballot. In total, 5,561 people voted for the increase. This tax increase is aimed at providing city services to the entirety of the city, which has increased by about 33 percent since the late 1980s.According to Mayor Steve Patterson, the city last raised taxes for a year in 1986 in order to raise money for special projects.