Schools win, county loses in Van Wert County

VAN WERT — It took a few tries, but Vantage Career Center passed the levy it needed to expand and renovate its facility. Van Wert City Schools passed the levy it needed to get $27.5 million in state funds for a new elementary school.

The Van Wert County government levy to help balance the budget failed with nearly 68 percent voting against the 1.6 mill levy.

Barbara Brown, of Van Wert, voted for both school levies.

“I voted for Vantage. I voted for the schools,” she said. “With the unemployment rate we have around here, I think it’s a good thing for Vantage. I just think it’s a good school.”

She said she and her husband voted against the county levy.

“People are just too stressed. I understand everybody needs money, but we’re both retired and we need money too,” she said.

Commissioner Harold Merkle said commissioners would have to look at ways to deal with a projected $560,000 budget shortfall.

“It’s an indication that the majority of voters wanted change in our programs,” he said. “We’ll have to see what we can do.”

Vantage Career Center Superintendent Staci Kaufman was pleased to hear her cramped building will get some breathing room.

“We’re pleased with the support of the community,” Kaufman. “Next we’ll sit down with our architects.”

The levy to gain state funds for improvement failed in Vantage’s outlying counties. It lost by 142 votes in Putnam County, 2,165 to 2,307, and in 910 votes in Paulding County, 3,646 to 2,736. It passed in Parkway school district in Mercer County by 108 votes, 717 to 609.

The home county support was enough to overcome that 944-vote deficit. It passed 4,886 to 2,666.

Van Wert City School District levy secures the credited funds to match the money spent by Van Wert to build its new high school. The 2.5 mill levy had 63 percent support, 2,597 to 1,543.

Superintendent Ken Amstutz was pleased and hopes to see ground broken for the new building by next summer. 

In contested races, John Marshall won Van Wert City Council’s first ward seat; Patti Cramer, Wayne Dawson, Neal Orsbon and Steven Rice were elected to Convoy Village Council and Mike Wolfcale was elected mayor of Middle Point.

In Ohio City, Pam Dull, Carol Miller, Bart Sidle and Gregory A. Waterman were elected to Village Council.

Eric Germann, Sally Snyder and Cynthia Miller were elected to the Lincolnview school board and Lori Bittner, Pam Motycka and Lonnie Nederman to the Crestview school board.