Macedonia City Council held a special meeting July 31 to amend the language for a 5.07 mil operating tax levy renewal that will appear on the November ballot.
The emergency session was called because the Ohio Secretary of State recently issued guidance requiring ballot language to express levies in dollars per $100,000 of property value instead of cents per $100. The change affects numerous political subdivisions across the state.
Law Director Mark Guidetti explained the amendment to Resolution 46-2025 was necessary to meet the August 6 filing deadline with the board of elections. The city’s next regular council meeting isn’t scheduled until mid-August, making the special session mandatory.
“The Secretary of State filing deadline is August 6 at 4 PM,” Guidetti said. “There’s no regular council meeting that would transpire between now and the next regularly scheduled meeting.”
The resolution amendment also addresses recent Ohio Supreme Court interpretations requiring final ballot language to be approved before the state deadline, with no opportunity for changes afterward.
Council members emphasized the language change doesn’t affect the levy amount, which has been renewed since the 1960s. The funds support the city’s safety forces including police and fire departments. The levy is estimated to collect $777,336 annually and will appear on ballots as “$24 for each $100,000 of the County Auditor’s appraised value” for the 5-year renewal commencing in 2025.
Resolution 52-2025 passed unanimously during the brief meeting, which began at 6 PM with all council members present.
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