BUCYRUS — The Criminal and Administrative Justice Services Levy, a 0.5-percent sales and use tax for the operation and maintenance of the Crawford County Justice Center, was voted down by voters in Tuesday’s election.
The levy received 8,781 no votes and only 5,413 yes votes.
Crawford County Sheriff Scott Kent said the county-wide sales tax is already being paid by consumers.
“The levy has been in place since 1994 but ends on June 30,” Kent said.
The 25-year levy was voted on in 1994 for the construction of the jail, which opened in 1998, expanding Crawford County’s jailing abilities from 16 spots in its jail to 121. The new levy is to continue the same amount of funding for the operation and maintenance of the facility.
Although the amount varies, Kent said the levy brought in $1.6 million of the jail’s $2.4 million operational budget last year.
“The payment for the construction of the jail does not end until December of 2019 but the levy expires on June 30, 2019,” Kent said.
The debt payment has been between $340,000 and $400,000 during the past 10 years, with the exception of 2010 and 2017, when the bond was refinanced, and the payments were just more than $1.6 mil and $747,000, respectively. The 2018 payment is $395,250.
The jail serves all law enforcement throughout the county.
Kent said the levy will go back on the ballot for May’s primary election.
“We have no choice,” said Kent. “I really did not think people would have an issue with it. One levy expires and this one would simply replace it. There is no increase, it is the same amount.”