Winners, losers in May 5 election

Fifteen votes.

That was the difference Tuesday between a sigh of relief for Lockland Local Schools and at least another six months of financial uncertainty.

Lockland had an 11.2-mill levy on the ballot. It went down 278 votes to 263.

Those results remain unofficial, according to the Hamilton County Board of Elections, and provisional ballots have yet to be counted. But Lockland Superintendent Matt Bishop doesn't have much hope the end result will change. When there are fewer than 600 votes overall, 15 is actually a pretty substantial number, he said.

"It's just prolonging the inevitable," he said. "It's one more roof leak I can't patch. It's one more boiler I can't fix. It's one more textbook I can't buy. All of those impact what we're doing on a daily basis. ... I couldn't imagine that we're not going to be on the ballot in November and not going to be asking for a significant amount."

Region-wide, Tuesday seemed a low-interest election. In Warren County, votes were counted and results posted before 9 p.m. There were 13,246 ballots cast in Warren County overall – roughly 12 percent of registered voters.

That was about what officials were expecting, said board of elections Director Brian Sleeth, but it's still always preferable to have higher numbers.

"It takes just as much effort to put on an election whether there's a 1 percent turnout or 100 percent, so it does feel good when there's a larger turnout," Sleeth said.

In Hamilton County, turnout was 12.5 percent. In Butler County, only 5 percent, according to the board of elections website.

Lockland's levy would have cost the owner of a $50,000 home $16.33 a month in addition to the $25 or so a month he/she already pays.

Typically, levy amounts are announced as what the owner of a $100,000 home will pay. That's part of the struggle in Lockland, Bishop said. Home values are so low – $50,000 on average compared with about $90,000 statewide – that levies just don't bring in as much.

Lockland's last successful levy was in 2003. Tuesday marks three losses in a row, but the silver lining is that with each try, the district inches a bit closer to winning, Bishop said.

"I really thought we had a chance (this time)," he said. "We're moving in the right direction. I think people are hearing our message."

Other election results

Hamilton County

• Arlington Heights tax levy for current operating expenses, 9 mills for five years – passed, 87 votes to 63.

• Cheviot tax levy for road/bridge improvements, 3 mills for five years – passed 235 votes to 117.

• Elmwood Place tax levy renewal for current expenses, 10 mills for five years – passed, 65 votes to 14.

• Forest Park fire levy, 5.75 mills continual – passed, 897 votes to 530.

• Harrison fire levy, 2.4 mills for five years – passed, 430 votes to 417.

• Northwest Local School District, combined bond/operating levy: 3.15 mill bond levy for 35 years, 1.18 mill operating levy continual – failed, 3,509 votes to 3,147.

• Winton Woods City School District bond issue for school construction, 8.79 mills for 37 years – failed, 2,507 votes to 1,006.

For additional results, visit boe.hamilton-co.org.

Butler County

• Fairfield Township levy: for public safety, 4.9 mills, continual – failed, 1,285 votes to 813.

• Edgewood City School District: substitute levy, 5.4 mills, 5 years – passed, 605 votes to 452.

• Lane Public Library: renewal levy, .75 mills, 10 years – passed, 4,627 votes to 1,286.

• Midpointe Library: renewal levy, .75 mills, 5 years – passed, 4,790 votes to 1,108.

For additional results, visit www.butlercountyelections.org.

Warren County

• Franklin Township fire levy: 14.57 mills, continual – failed, 1,788 votes to 110.

• Salem Township fire levy: 3.9 mills for five years – failed, 366 votes to 221.

• Harlan Township fire renewal levy, 2.9 mills for five years – passed, 362 votes to 105.

• Kings Local School District renewal levy, 3 mills, continual – passed, 1,508 votes to 573.

• Warren County Career Center replacement levy, 3.5 mills, continuing – failed, 7,379 votes to 4,574.

• Carlisle income tax levy, 0.5 percent, continual – failed, 360 votes against to 251 in favor.

For additional results, visit www.warrencountyboe.us.