Two Northern Ohio park districts and two Central Ohio county seat communities led the way as five of six parks and recreation issues appearing on Ohio ballots were approved by voters Tuesday night.
By far the closest race was in Bellefontaine, where a new recreation levy passed by a mere 12 votes out of more than 1500 ballots cast. A similar levy in Delaware was also successful, by about a four percentage point margin. Park districts in Erie and Hancock Counties cruised to comfortable wins, with the Erie County levy garnering nearly 72% of the vote.
"Every vote counts," said Woody Woodward, Executive Director of the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association. "We were watching Bellefontaine closely and feel really good about the outcome there. Woodward said the results in Erie and Hancock Counties were not surprising, but that he was very pleased with the margins of victory.
"Even on a relatively quiet night for parks and recreation levies, Ohio voters continue to demonstrate with their votes that these services are vital to improving the quality of life in communities around the state," Woodward said. "The work being done by our members is making a real difference, and voters clearly understand that."
According to the association, nearly 85% of parks and recreation levies placed before Ohio voters in the past decade have been successful.
Click here for a complete list of the 2024 March levies and here for a compilation of levies since 2010.