Ballot shaping up for May election in Shelby, region
The May 6 election ballot is shaping up to include Shelby's Marvin Memorial Library, the Richland County Board of Elections reports.
The proposal calls for a 5-year, 1.75 mill property tax renewal for current expenses. The proposal is to go before the board of elections Feb. 11 to certify the measure to the May 6 ballot, said Matt Finfgeld, county elections director.
As of Thursday, no contested offices were on the May 6 ballot for Shelby.
A local option (involving Sunday sale of beer and wine and mixed beverages, off-premise sales) also may be on the ballot. More on that and other proposals around the region are expected to be known next week when the elections board meets to certify measures across Richland County.
Two measures were submitted for Plymouth voters to address on May 6:
-- PLYMOUTH: PROPERTY TAX (RENEWAL - 1 mill, 5 YEARS, COMMENCING 2025, FIRST DUE 2026) operating and maintaining the village cemetery. (A similar measure narrowly lost in November, 2024).
-- PLYMOUTH: PROPERTY TAX -ADDITIONAL - 2 mills, 5 YEARS, COMMENCING 2025, FIRST DUE 2026 providing and maintaining motor vehicles, communications, other equipment, buildings and sites for such buildings used directly in the operation of a police department, for the payment of salaries of permanent or part-time police, communications or administrative personnel to operate the same, including the payment of any employer contributions required for such personnel under section 145.48 or 742.33 of the Revised Code
(Some Huron County residents vote in the Plymouth election, as well)
On May 6, Richland County voters also will address a statewide issue -- involving a public infrastructure bond package involving the state capital improvement program and general obligation bonds to fund these.
"We don't have the (ballot) language for that yet," Finfgeld said. "The Ohio Ballot Board is meeting on the 11th of (February) hopefully to create and certify that language," Finfgeld said.
Both major political parties agree on the proposal.
May 6 is described as a special election because of the statewide issue “or else we would not have the whole county open” for voting.
“There’s going to be a lot of parts of the county where that is the only thing that is going to be on the ballot,” Finfgeld said.
The deadline to register to vote in the May 6 election is April 7 with the first day of early voting on April 8. The in-person early voting site in Richland County is at the Longview Center in Mansfield.
On May 6, voting will occur at the normal locations around Shelby along with Jackson and Sharon Townships.
"We are not going to consolidate any (sites) even though we are expecting a small turnout," Finfgeld said.
Polls across Ohio are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. May 6.
In the Nov. 4 general election, Shelby City Council elections (5 seats), Shelby Board of Education (3 seats) and trustee contests in Jackson and Sharon townships (2 seats each) are on the ballot.
Filing deadlines for school board and township trustees are later this year, Aug. 6.
"They can come pick their petition up now, if anyone is interested," Finfgeld said. "We have had one person out in Springfield Township, who has picked up a petition already.
Every township in Richland County will have two seats up for election in the November election.
The filing deadline for Shelby City Council is Feb. 20, Finfgeld said, citing the city charter.
As of Feb. 6, none of the Shelby City Council races were contested.
All incumbents -- Steve McLaughlin, Nathan Martin, Eric Cutlip, Derrin Roberts and Charles Roub -- took out election petitions. Four of the five submitted those petitions to the elections office, which had not received Roub's petition as of Thursday, Finfgeld said.
No one else had pulled petitions for Shelby City Council.
"They are nonpartisan and they do run in May if there are more than two people who have run" for any council ward, Finfgeld said, quickly noting that was not the situation as of Thursday given that only the incumbents were involved.
No other Shelby municipal government offices are up for election in 2025.
"Council runs every two, and their administration -- such as the finance director, the mayor, the law director --they run every four," Finfgeld said.
For more information on the May 6 election, see the Richland County Board of Elections website at vote.richlandcountyoh.gov