ElectionWednesday, November 4
Wadsworth voters rejected the 1% school income tax on Tuesday
The Morning Medina team
If you live in the Wadsworth City Schools district, the second income tax try this year didn't pass. The Gazette says voters rejected the proposed tax, and district officials will have to revisit the district's finances and consider additional budget cuts. Early returns at 7:59 p.m. had it trailing narrowly, according to unofficial Medina County Board of Elections results, before any Election Day precincts reported.
In May, voters rejected a 1.5% earned-income tax with no end date. This time the district came back with a smaller, five-year version after cuts to staff and other expenses, and larger elementary class sizes. Officials say those cuts stay either way, and they warn cash could fall below zero without new revenue.
- Proposal: 1% for five years, from Jan. 1, 2027 if approved
- Cost: $500 a year on $50,000 in taxable wages
- Spared: Social Security, pensions and investment income
The tax's size and the finances behind it
- $8.86 million
- a year the tax would generate, per the county auditor
- $4.5 million
- a year in improvements from the district's cuts and other measures
- nearly 70%
- of voters rejected the 1.5% tax in May
- $13 million
- roughly, projected cash below zero in fiscal 2030 without new revenue
Source: Cleveland.com
Sources: Medina Gazette, Cleveland.com