ATHENS, Ohio — Athens voters rejected a proposed 0.3% addition to the city’s income tax that would have brought the rate to 2.25%.
The issue failed by 14%, with 835 votes against the tax and 625 in favor, according to unofficial results. Only 17 residents cast ballots in the primary without voting on the tax issue.
Just over 11% of the city’s 15,620 registered voters cast ballots in the primary election.
Speaking with the Independent Tuesday night, Mayor Steve Patterson said the city will take a wait-and-see approach before taking next steps.
“We’ll just continue to watch the projections of the revenue and expenses and plan accordingly,” he said. City Auditor Kathy Hecht and Treasurer Josh Thomas have been modeling different scenarios, he added. “We’ll again continue to watch where that is going, because once the expenses exceed revenue, then we’re gonna have to make some pretty serious choices and decisions at that point in time.”
At-Large Council Member Beth Clodfelter said the tax failure was “unfortunate,” especially in light of state budget cuts.
“A little bit here and a little bit here and a little bit there, and a big thing here and then a little thing there — they just keep doing it,” she told the Independent Tuesday night.
“The city’s budget is going to get increasingly tight … and I’m afraid it may lead to layoffs of city employees,” Clodfelter said. “That can hurt everyone in town, because when city workforces start getting cut, then maybe the parks aren’t as nice. Maybe the snow doesn’t get removed as fast, you know, maybe the potholes don’t get filled as fast. And so I do see why people voted no, but I think it’s unfortunate, has the city needed the money.”
City Service Safety Director Andy Stone brought the proposed income tax increase to Athens City Council in November 2024, saying that the hike was needed to cover increasing medical costs for city employees. According to figures from the city, medical costs rose by 57% between 2008 and 2023 — well above the cumulative inflation rate of 41.5% for that period.
Few of the commenters at press conferences on April 7 and April 14, as well as an April 14 town hall hosted by the League of Women Voters of Athens County, seemed to favor the tax increase. Key concerns were high poverty rates in the city and the county, large increases in property taxes, and — above all — the city’s loss of nearly $722,000 to a phishing scam.
Shiloh Antonuccio contributed to this reporting.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the tax increase was that of .03%. This article has been corrected to indicate that the proposed increase was for .3%. We apologize for this error.
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