Mason City Schools and Kings Local School District won't appear on the Nov. 3 ballot, but Warren County families will still have tax questions to answer. Six measures made the filing deadline Wednesday, Aug. 5, including two new school district earned-income taxes and a mental health levy renewal with direct ties to Mason, according to the Dayton Daily News.

Two school districts seek new income taxes

Franklin City School District is asking voters to approve a 1.25% earned income tax for five years starting Jan. 1, 2027. The district says the tax would raise an estimated $7.35 million a year and allow a 1-mill property tax rollback, saving the owner of a $216,600 home about $818 a year in property taxes.

Lebanon City School District wants a 1% earned income tax for 10 years, also beginning Jan. 1, 2027. If approved, the board of education would roll back 2.15 mills of property taxes. Both taxes apply only to residents within those districts, not to Mason or Deerfield Township households in the Mason or Kings attendance zones.

Countywide levies hit closer to home

Two countywide renewals will appear on every Warren County voter's ballot.

The Mental Health Recovery Board Serving Warren and Clinton Counties seeks renewal of a 1-mill, five-year levy that would collect $7,677,198 a year. The board's administrative office sits at 201 Reading Road in Mason. The cost: $16 for every $100,000 of appraised property value.

The senior services levy, a 1.21-mill renewal for five years, would collect $9,016,446 annually at $22 per $100,000 of appraised value. That's down from $29.93 per $100,000 when voters last approved it in 2021 with 78.4% support. Warren County Commissioners unanimously approved placing it on the ballot July 21.

Ken Wilson, who presented the levy to commissioners, said in a July 24 Dayton Daily News report that "senior services is not asking for any additional funding through the levy renewal." The effective rate has dropped as property values have risen; the levy collected $36.14 per $100,000 in 2011.

For a Mason or Deerfield Township homeowner with a $300,000 home, the two countywide renewals together would cost about $114 a year. Because both are renewals, that's the same rate residents already pay.

Other measures on the ballot

Turtlecreek Township is asking for a new 4.5-mill continuing levy for fire services and equipment, raising an estimated $3,592,748 a year at $158 per $100,000 of appraised value.

Franklin Township (excluding the city of Middletown) seeks renewal of a 0.25-mill, five-year senior services levy collecting $143,801 a year at $5 per $100,000.

What's next

The Warren County Board of Elections has until Monday, Aug. 17, to certify all six measures. The voter registration deadline is Monday, Oct. 5, and early voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 520 Justice Drive in Lebanon. Election Day polls open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3.