NORTHEAST OHIO — Avon Lake voters rejected a proposed income tax increase Tuesday that would have funded $40 million in road repairs, while voters in Smithville overwhelmingly chose to repeal the village's school zone speed cameras.
Avon Lake's Issue 16 would have raised the local income tax by 0.4%. The measure failed by a slim margin, with 51% of voters opposing it and 49% in favor.
Avon Lake City Council President Geoffrey Smith said the tax increase would have generated $6 million annually for the city.
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That money was intended to address what Smith described as $40 million worth of aging and deteriorating roads in need of repair.
With Issue 16's defeat, Smith said funding for those repairs would not be included in the city's budget.
"We won't have any money to fix the roads. That's pretty simple," he said. "Obviously, we will do everything we can within our budget constraints to continue to maintain them, but it's not going to be a very easy road to go."
In Wayne County, Smithville voters took a different approach to a local transportation issue, choosing to repeal the speed cameras the village had installed in school zones last year.
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The repeal passed with 71% of voters in favor.
In July, business owners said their customers were avoiding traveling through the village because of the cameras. Residents also expressed frustration that they had not been given a say in the cameras' installation.
The Smithville speed cameras will not be removed immediately. The repeal will not take effect until after the election results are certified.
