ASHLAND — Ashland’s city residents overwhelmingly approved continuing the 5-year, 0.25 percent income tax for road repair and maintenance.
The renewal levy was passed with 2,307 of 2,913 votes — or 79.20 percent approval, according to unofficial election results Tuesday, April 28 from the Ashland County Board of Elections.
“We are so pleased that our street income tax renewal passed with such a large margin, and I truly believe it is because the people who live here in the city of Ashland have seen all of the progress we have made on resurfacing our city streets,” said City of Ashland Mayor Matt Miller. “One by one we are picking them off based on the condition they are in, and the fact that this levy was renewed tonight means we’ll be able to continue to work our way through the list of streets that need resurfaced throughout our city.”
Since approved by City of Ashland residents in 2016, the levy has allowed the city of Ashland to pave 56.25 of its total 220 lane miles — or more than 85 streets.
The levy generated $4.8 million in the past four years, and through a strategy of leveraging the dollars to acquire additional in-state funding, it’s allowed the city of Ashland to spend $6.3 million on road repairs.
This strategy will continue into the future, Miller said.
Further, he expects Ashland will be able to create a cycle for road repairs, allowing regular repairs to highly trafficked roads and timely repairs for other roadways.
“Our hope is that, in the next five years, we’ll be able to get all the roads in fair or good condition and on a cycle where they are never in the poor condition they were when residents came to the rescue in 2016,” Miller said.
Passage of the measure means the road repair tax will continue for another five years, beginning January 2021.
According to information provided Tuesday by the Ashland County Board of Elections Deputy Director Amanda Jones, it appears the levy passed with enough support to stand despite ballots that may have been postmarked Monday, April 27 and did not arrive at the Board of Elections Office in time to be counted Tuesday.
At 9:15 p.m., Jones said, 776 issued ballots were yet to be counted. Ballots will be recounted and confirmed before considered final.
“We are so pleased this income tax renewal issue has passed, it will allow us to continue all the progress and momentum we have begun in the city of Ashland,” Miller said.
