Voters Reject Funding for Parks and Recreation Facilities

TROY — Troy residents Tuesday overwhelmingly voted against using tax dollars to pay for a series of recreation projects, rejecting a 0.25 percent, 10-year income tax.

Unofficial totals from the Miami County Board of Elections showed 63 percent opposed and 37 percent in favor of the income tax. The tax was proposed by the Operation Recreation 2020 Committee and placed on the ballot by the city council.

Voters also re-elected Bill Twiss as the 5th Ward representative to the Troy City Council and selected William Lutz, Todd Severt and Robin Oda for three at-large seats.

Unofficial totals showed Twiss with 59 percent and Rozell with 40 percent in the Republican 5th Ward race. The unofficial totals in the Republican at-large race had Severt with 26 percent, Lutz with 23 percent, incumbent Oda with 24 percent, incumbent Lynne Snee with 17 percent and Thomas Andrew Brinkman with 8 percent.

This was the second time in less than a year that the city council placed a proposal on the ballot for the Operation Recreation 2020.

The first proposal - a property tax - was withdrawn by council the day before the Nov. 8 general election due to an error in the placement of a decimal point in ballot language.If approved, the property tax would have generated considerably less than the amount intended by the city.

The income tax was proposed late last year. Its proceeds of $2.5 million a year would have been earmarked for new baseball and soccer fields and other improvements at Paul G. Duke Park; improvements at the city golf course and seniors center; and a second sheet of ice near Hobart Arena.

"I am disappointed. I think that folks really hate the word tax," said Bobby Phillips, a council member and chairman of the Operation Recreation committee. Phillips said he didn't know if another proposal would be made for the recreation projects.

The third current at-large city council member, John Terwillger, did not file for re-election to that seat. Instead, he filed as the Republican candidate for the 2nd Ward seat being vacated by Doug Tremblay. Terwillger will face Democrat Cynthia Schaefer in November.

All other council positions are unopposed this year.

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