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ELYRIA, Ohio – Early election returns Tuesday night painted a mixed picture of Lorain County voter priorities, with support for maintaining existing school funding but resistance to new taxes across the board. After polls closed at 7:30 p.m., early and absentee ballot tallies showed voters appeared willing to renew existing levies for Lorain City Schools but were rejecting new school taxes in Amherst and Vermilion. Meanwhile, a proposed countywide sales and use tax to fund the Sheriff’s Office and a bid to raise North Ridgeville’s income tax were facing defeat. Millions of dollars in school funding and government operations hang in the balance across seven key ballot measures. But initial tallies provide a first look at voter priorities and how issues are shaping up. Here’s a look at where seven critical ballot issues stood, according to early results, with no precincts reporting: Issue 1: Lorain County sales and use tax 0.25% increase Yes: 34.27% | No: 65.73% Initial returns indicate voters leaning against raising Lorain County’s sales and use tax from 6.5% to 6.75% If approved, Issue 1 is expected to generate roughly $13 million annually for Sheriff’s Office general operations by adding 25 cents per $100 spent in the county. County commissioners say the increase would restore a sales tax eliminated in 2020, which created a temporary funding gap that was filled by federal pandemic relief funds. With those funds exhausted, the Sheriff’s Office budget — projected to grow from $31.2 million in 2025 to $35.5 million in 2026 — faces potential deficits starting next year. Issue 8: Raising North Ridgeville’s income tax by 0.75% Yes: 35.13% | No: 64.87% In North Ridgeville, early results show voters rejecting what could be the city’s first income tax increase in more than 50 years. Issue 8 would raise the city’s income tax from 1% to 1.75% while simultaneously increasing the commuter credit from 0.1% to 1% for residents who work elsewhere and pay income tax to another city. About 80% of residents — those who commute — would see a reduction in their overall tax burden. Residents who both live and work in North Ridgeville would pay more. The measure is expected to generate $6.3 million annually. The new revenue is needed to keep pace with rapid population growth, which has surged 68% since 2000, according to city officials. Finance Director April Wilkerson has warned that without additional revenue, the city faces potential deficits beginning in 2027 that could exceed $10.6 million by 2031. Issue 16: Amherst schools levy raising income tax 1.5% Yes: 38.58% | No: 61.42% Voters appear to be opposed to a five-year, 1.5% earned income tax proposed by the Amherst Exempted Village School District. The measure would generate approximately $10 million to support daily operations including staff salaries, supplies, curriculum, utilities and transportation. The earned income tax would apply only to wages and self-employment, not pensions or investment income, protecting retirees and homeowners on fixed incomes. For 13 years, the district has operated without new revenue and is now deficit spending. District budget forecasts show that annual deficits could reach $7-8 million by 2027. Without approval, district officials warn of $3–4 million in staff cuts and reductions to academic programs next year. Issues 21 & 22: Lorain City Schools levy renewals Issue 21: Yes: 56.95% | No: 43.05% Issue 22: Yes: 58.44% | No: 41.56% Early returns show cautious support for renewing two existing school levies in Lorain, which together provide more than $14 million annually for education. Issue 21, a 23.85-mill levy, funds day-to-day operations such as staff salaries, student services, teaching resources, and safety programs. Issue 22, a 3.22-mill emergency levy, would provide $3.1 million over 10 years for unforeseen needs. Both measures are renewals, not increases, aimed at maintaining current funding levels. The district serves over 65,000 residents and employs more than 1,000 staff, with enrollment projected to rise to nearly 6,300 students next year. Officials caution that failing to renew could result in staff layoffs, larger class sizes and reduced services. Issue 25: Vermilion Schools bond levy Yes: 44.13% | No: 55.87% Initial tallies indicate slightly more voters opposed to than in favor of a $47 million, 30-year bond levy to repair and modernize aging Vermilion school facilities. The district estimates $14 million in immediate maintenance needs at Vermilion High School and Sailorway Middle School including leaking roofs, inefficient heating and cooling systems, outdated science labs and a broken elevator. The district has not requested an operating levy since 2008 and is among just 43 of Ohio’s 611 school districts still relying solely on its general fund for facility maintenance—a fund largely dedicated to salaries that can’t sustain major capital improvements long-term. If approved, the levy would cost approximately $12 per month for every $100,000 of home value and would be dedicated exclusively to building improvements, with completion targeted for the end of 2027. Issue 26: Vermilion TIF voter approval amendment Yes: 50.66% | No: 49.34% Also in Vermilion, voters are nearly split over a proposed charter amendment requiring public input on all future tax-increment financing deals — a tool cities use to redirect future property tax revenue toward infrastructure improvements that benefit new developments. The measure, brought forward by Concerned Vermilion Citizens, would mandate that any proposed TIF be put to a public vote. Supporters say the amendment increases transparency and gives taxpayers control over public incentives. Opponents say it could slow or deter development in the city, such as Mayor Jim Forthofer who called it “an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.”
