November 9, 2026

The CORSA Board of Directors recently welcomed Muskingum County Commissioner Melissa Bell to its ranks. See the article in the Association & Member section below for more! 

CORSA Welcomes Commissioner Melissa Bell to Board of Directors

CORSA is pleased to welcome Muskingum County Commissioner Melissa Bell to the CORSA Board of Directors. Commissioner Bell was appointed to fill the board vacancy created by the resignation of Cory Noonan. Her experience in county government, dedication to public service, and commitment to serving Ohio's counties will be valuable assets to the organization. "Melissa's commitment to county government, collaborative leadership style, and focus on serving her constituents make her an excellent addition to the board," said John Brownlee, CORSA Managing Director. "We are excited to welcome her to CORSA's leadership team and look forward to the insight and perspective she will bring as we continue to serve our member counties." The CORSA Board of Directors looks forward to working with Commissioner Bell and appreciates her willingness to serve the organization and its members throughout Ohio.

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County Election Results

Last Tuesday, Ohioans took part in the 2026 General Election. They voted on local ballot issues, a statewide ballot issue, and elected officials at the local, state, and federal level. The results of county votes, as well as a few notable non-county votes, are discussed below. 

A file showing the outcome of all county ballot issues is available here and one showing the outcome of CCAO member races is available here.

Property Tax Levies

After three years of property tax reform proposals and the enactment of the largest scale reforms since the 1970s as well the prospect of a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment campaign, property tax issues loomed large on the November ballot.

Counties had 87 property tax levies on the ballot. The majority were renewals or a funding decrease, but 29 were new money requests. Overall, levies had an 82% passage rate.

County Property Tax Levies on November Ballot, By Levy Type
Request Type	Count	Passed	Passage Rate
Renewal	57	57	100%
New Money	29	13	45%
Additional Levy	21	9	43%
Renewal & Increase	8	4	50%
Reduced Money	1	1	100%
Total	87	71	82%

The last election where all county renewal levies passed was the November 2023 election.

The 87 property tax issues were split among several different purposes. As is often the case, the majority of levies on the ballot were for human services functions. The bulk of new money requests came in this purpose category, as increasing placement costs for children services and increasing Medicaid waiver match costs for developmental disabilities boards strain existing budgets.

The specific levy purpose that struggled most was developmental disabilities boards. Only five developmental disabilities levies passed.

County Property Tax Levies on November Ballot, by Levy Purpose
Levy Purpose	Count	Passed	Passage Rate
Human Services	57	46	81%
Mental Health and Recovery	50	19	95%
Senior Services	14	14	100%
Developmental Disabilities	12	5	42%
Children Services	5	3	60%
County Home	3	3	100%
Omnibus Human Services	3	2	67%
Public Safety	10	9	90%
9-1-1 System	5	5	100%
Emergency Medical Services	2	2	100%
Sheriff Department	2	1	50%
Criminal Justice	1	1	100%
Health District	6	5	83%
Library	4	3	75%
Park District	4	2	50%
OSU Extension	3	3	100%
Roads & Bridges	2	2	100%
Science Center	1	1	100%
Total	87	71	82%

According to data compiled by the Ohio School Boards Association, school district property tax levies fared well. Renewals passed at a rate of 81% (near the historical average) and new money property taxes passed at a rate of 56% (well above the historical average of 30%).

According to data compiled by the Ohio Township Association, township property tax levies had an 86% overall passage rate. Half of the new money levies on the ballot passed while 98% of renewal levies passed.

Sales Tax Levies

There were three county sales tax levies on the ballot, all renewals. Holmes County (0.25% for permanent improvements) and Wyandot County (0.50% for sheriff and EMS) were successful, while Logan County's renewal (0.50% for permanent improvements) was unsuccessful.

Logan County’s county rate is currently at the maximum 1.50%. The levy will cease collections in July 2027.  

There were two transit authority sales tax issues on the ballot, one of which passed and the other was unsuccessful.

The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) passed its 0.25% renewal levy. SARTA had been unsuccessful in the spring passing an increased rate. Facing a financial cliff if the levy expired, the Authority opted for a renewal levy.

The recently created Delaware County Regional Transit Authority sought a 0.20% continuous sales tax to fund its operations. The levy was unsuccessful.

County Charter Amendments

Cuyahoga County, one of two charter counties, had three charter amendments on the ballot. All three amendments were adopted.

They 1) require the County Council to confirm any removal of members of county boards by the County Executive; 2) establish clear duties and powers of the appointed county director of law; and 3) change the appointing authority for the county Charter Review Commission from solely the County Executive to split between the Executive and Council.

Non-County Ballot Issues

Voters decided on one statewide issue. Issue 3, to add an amendment to the Ohio Constitution that requires a photo ID in order to vote, was approved by a wide margin.

The amendment (now Section 5 of Article V) requires voters to provide photo ID to vote at polling places or other voting locations. The extent of other voting locations is delegated to the General Assembly; practically speaking, it covers early voting locations. The General Assembly is also authorized to create an alternative method of verifying the identification for those with a sincere religious objection to being photographed.

“Photo identification” refers to the any of the following, provided they are not expired:

• A driver’s license or a state ID card issued by the Ohio BMV (or successor agency);
• A temporary document issued by the BMV to an applicant for a driver’s license or state ID card, provided it contains all the information otherwise found on a driver’s license or state ID card;
• A US passport or passport card; or
• A US military ID card, an Ohio National Guard ID card, or an ID card issued by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (or successor agency).

Additionally, the General Assembly can pass laws requiring voters to provide photo identification or a signature and another unique identifier when voting by any other method authorized by law; practically speaking, when voting absentee.

“Other unique identifier” can mean either a unique numeric or alphanumeric descriptor assigned to a voter by an agency of the state or the federal government, or a truncated version of such a descriptor.

In local, non-county ballot issues, there were 21 local issues pertaining to data centers. All of the issue outcomes were on the side angled against data centers. Some of the issues were municipal charter amendments establishing the outright ban of data center construction, others were adding requirements that any data center developments be approved by popular vote, and yet others were referenda on either specific projects or zoning changes to allow a specific project.

CCAO Member Races

There were 105 CCAO member seats on ballot: one seat in the 86 statutory counties, six Cuyahoga County Council seats, the Cuyahoga County Executive seat, three Summit County Council seats, and nine unexpired seats.

There were 71 incumbents on the ballot, 29 of whom ran unopposed. Of the 42 who had a contested race, three were defeated.

When considering these races, along with contested races that do not feature an incumbent, CCAO will welcome 37 new members. Three of these new members have previously served as a county commissioner:

• Terry Boose, Huron County – A two-time former CCAO member who served on multiple Association boards of directors. Last served in 2023.
  
  
• Ken Stiverson, Marion County – A former CCAO member. Last served as a commissioner in 2022.
  
  
• Mark Van Buren, Licking County – A former CCAO member. Last served in 2008 (a single year as an unexpired term).

One of the new members will be a former legislator. Lauren McNally, a current State Representative in her second term, won the open Mahoning County Commissioner seat.

The only seat that is within the automatic recount threshold (a margin of 0.5% or less) is the Delaware County seat currently held by the retiring Commissioner Barb Lewis. Republican Renee Vaughan finished election night with a 514-vote lead on Democrat Ryan Grissinger. The final outcome of that race remains to be seen.

OHPELRA accepting nominations for public section labor relations awards

Ohio Public Employer Labor Relations Association (OHPELRA) members across the state continue to make meaningful contributions and raise the bar in the HR/LR arenas. One of the highlights of OHPELRA’s Annual Training Conference (ATC) is recognizing those who go above and beyond through their innovative ideas, collaboration, dedication to employee and labor relations, and other outstanding achievements.

Two awards will be presented at the 2027 ATC – the Pacesetter Award and the Award of Excellence.

We encourage you to review the award descriptions below and consider nominating an OHPELRA member who deserves this recognition. Nominations will be accepted through the end of the year, using this form (both award nominations use the same link; if submitting a nomination for both awards, you will need to submit multiple forms).

• Pacesetter: Awarded to individuals, groups or organizations who have demonstrated innovative leadership in public sector labor relations.  The Pacesetter Award recognizes those individuals who have successfully developed a new tool or technique for use in resolving conflicts, addressing new challenges, or assisting others in their growth in public sector labor relations or human resources. Pacesetters are role models who serve as resources to others in the field.
  
  
• Award of Excellence: Awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to management in the field of public sector labor relations. The Award of Excellence represents the highest acknowledgement of the recipient’s dedication and achievement in the development of positive labor-management relations. It signifies professional efforts, which have demonstrated creative and innovative leadership over an extended period.

If you have any questions concerning the 2027 ATC or the two awards, please contact OHPELRA Secretary and Knox County HR Director Courtney Lower.

Save the Date: 2026 Ohio Grants Summit

The Ohio Office of Budget and Management has announced that it will hold the annual Ohio Grants Summit from December 1 to December 3. Each day's programing will run from 9:00 a.m. to noon. As in past years, it will be predominantly a virtual event, so in-person attendance is not required.

CCAO will share more information about the event's schedule as it becomes available.

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State funding opportunities

The table below contains current state grant or loan programs. A more comprehensive list can be found on the Ohio Grants Partnership webpage.

Grant Program	Brief Summary	Eligibility Criteria	Amount Available	Application Due Date
Violent Crime Reduction Grant	To assist local communities in reducing and preventing violent crime using proven or promising crime reduction strategies.	Law enforcement agencies	Unspecified No local match required	November 16, 2026
.gov Domain Migration Grant	To help local governments transition their websites to the more secure ".gov" domain.	Local governments, with priority for those serving less than 40,000 residents	Maximum award: $9,500 20% local match required	November 20, 2026
Domestic Violence Awareness Month Grants (must take brief preapplication survey)	To assist in the response to domestic violence incidences and to assess the likelihood of future incidences.	Law enforcement agencies	Unspecified	November 30, 2026
Water Cybersecurity Grant	To enhance the cybersecurity protections for water and wastewater systems.	Local governments, with priority for those serving less than 40,000 residents	Unspecified 40% local match required	December 4, 2026
Lake Erie Community Grant	To help create healthy, thriving communities by providing resources and support to address local environmental challenges within the Lake Erie Basin.	Local governments and non-profits within the Lake Erie Basin (page 45 & 46)	Maximum award: $350,000	December 16, 2026
H2Ohio Conservation Ditch Grant Program	To provide reimbursement for the construction of two-stage and self-forming conservation ditches.	Soil and water conservation districts and county engineers	Unspecified Reimbursement model	June 1, 2027 (Rolling until)

^{Each week Counties Current highlights the happenings in our counties in the words of their local media.}

^{One story from each of the CCAO's five districts is highlighted, and on occasion other stories may be highlighted as well.}

^{A paid subscription may be required to view the full article in some cases.}

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Northeast District

Commissioners closer to approving bid selection process for two major projects
Star Beacon, November 6, 2026
The Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners received news that two Kingsville Township projects are nearing the place to be approved to go our for bid.

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Southwest District

Township says it can't pay for 'extra' police patrols, could lose them by Jan. 1
WVXU, October 29, 2026
A western Hamilton County community could lose routine and non-emergency policing services. Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey says Whitewater Township has not signed a contract with her department and will lose services if it doesn't.

Chief Deputy Chris Ketterman says most local communities know they have to provide law enforcement.

“We’ve been working with Whitewater for several years,” he told Hamilton County Commissioners Thursday morning. “October, I sent a letter that we have to have movement on this. We know the budget’s tight in the county, but everybody has to pay their fair share for law enforcement.”

Without a contract, as of Jan. 1, 2027, sheriff's deputies will respond to emergencies in Whitewater Township, but won't provide traffic enforcement or regular patrols.

Township Trustee Guy Schiable agrees the sheriff has worked with them in the past.

“But if they could really cut off all our service, like they’re not going to show up for anything — in the end, we still don’t have the money,” he says. “They’re wanting us to pay for dedicated cars for our area.”

Schiable says the township would love to have that, but can't afford it.

“We don’t have any parties we could cancel or 'Taste of Miamitown,' or something like that. We don’t have any wasteful spending. The only way to produce any more money is to pass a levy. That’s just what we’re going to have to try to do. We’ve tried it several times. It usually fails.”

A 2024 public safety levy would have raised $1.4 million for police, fire and EMS services. It failed by a more than 3-to-1 margin. Schaible says they may try again next spring.

Schiable says the current contract the sheriff has offered is for $1.2 million.

Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus says some townships have not paid their fair share in the past, but that has been corrected.

“Anderson Township and Lincoln Heights and others are paying for the services," she says.

She says Hamilton County is paying for the organization and administrative costs, and asking communities to just pay for “boots on the ground.”

NOVEMBER 10
OCCO Legislative Reception

NOVEMBER 11
Veterans Day - Holiday

NOVEMBER 13
CEBCO Board of Directors Meeting

NOVEMBER 20
CCAO Board of Directors Meeting

NOVEMBER 26
Thanksgiving - Holiday

DECEMBER 9-11
CCAO/CEAO Annual Winter Conference