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Council updates fire/EMS levy ballot language after state guidance; plans ballot submission to Board of Elections
Summary
Council amended a previously approved resolution to correct ballot language for a replacement 5.75-mill fire/EMS levy after guidance from the Board of Elections and Secretary of State changed numeric formatting rules; the council signaled intent to submit the corrected language for November ballot placement.
New Franklin’s council amended Resolution 25R34 to clarify the ballot language for a replacement 5.75-mill fire and emergency medical services levy, following guidance from the county Board of Elections and Secretary of State on how to express levy amounts on the ballot.
Staff explained that the Board of Elections raised concerns about the tax-year dates included in earlier drafts and that the Secretary of State recently required that ballot language display the full whole-number amount rather than permitting a rounded representation. The staff member said the levy will produce $3,304,000 and that older language that used rounding (for example, 3,000,003.3) would not satisfy the new requirement. The city attorney said he had reviewed the revised language with the Board of Elections and that the board was “satisfied with the language.” If council approved, staff planned to hand-deliver the corrected resolution to the Board of Elections for inclusion on the November ballot.
Council voted to waive readings and moved forward with the corrected resolution; the staff presenter said the intent was to submit the corrected ballot language promptly. The council discussed timing and whether state-level changes to replacement-levy rules might affect ballot presentation; a state representative who spoke during public comments said pending state action could complicate replacement-levy language and recommended monitoring state legislation that interacts with local replacement levies.
The resolution as presented authorizes submission of a levy to the electors at the November election and includes an emergency clause to meet filing deadlines.
