Washington County to place WCBDD, library levies on May 5 ballot

Charlie L. Schilling, president of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, and his fellow commissioners on Jan. 22 approved resolutions to submit two tax questions to voters on May 5, 2026.

The Board voted to proceed with a 0.95-mill levy for the Washington County Board of Developmental Disabilities (WCBDD) for five years, a measure the County Auditor certified will cost an estimated $33.25 for each $100,000 of the Auditor's appraised value and is expected to generate about $2,167,671 annually. The resolution states the levy would commence in 2026 with first collection in calendar year 2027 and will be submitted under Ohio Revised Code 5705.222.

Commissioners also adopted a resolution declaring the necessity of a levy in excess of the 10-mill limitation for current expenses of the Washington County Public Library. The proposed library levy would not exceed 0.5 mill for each one dollar of taxable value; the Auditor certified that equals $17.50 per $100,000 of valuation and estimated annual revenue of $1,140,880. That levy would run for 10 years beginning in 2026 with first collection in 2027.

Both resolutions were approved on unanimous roll calls (Charlie Schilling, Eddie D. Place and Ronald G. Nohe). The filings set the two questions to appear countywide on the May 5, 2026 ballot, where voters will decide whether to authorize the levies.

If approved, the WCBDD levy would fund services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Washington County; the library levy would fund the public library's current expenses. The Board's resolutions note the Auditor's certified estimates; final tax impact will depend on each property's assessed valuation and the Auditor's final calculations.

The Board did not take additional substantive action on how levy revenue would be budgeted beyond the jurisdictional statements in the resolutions. The measures now move to the May 5 ballot for voter consideration.